TREASURY

Counterfeit Cigarettes

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the volume of counterfeit cigarettes being sold on the UK black market.

John Healey: HMRC's latest estimate of the size of the UK counterfeit cigarette market is contained in Counterfeit Cigarettes 2004", which is published on the HM Treasury website.

Economic Life Cycle Cost Analyses

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what areas his Department has since 1 January 2004 (a) undertaken and (b) begun to undertake full economic life cycle cost analyses.

Ivan Lewis: Economic appraisals and evaluations of central government policies, programmes and projects, as required by the HM Treasury Green Book guidance, involve analysis of the costs and benefits of policies over time. These are conducted by Departments responsible for front-line public services. The Treasury has not undertaken, or begun to undertake, any of these since January 2004.
	Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) for new policies always include a cost-benefit analysis. A list of full RIAs produced by HM Treasury from 1 January 2001 is available on the HMT website. HM Revenue and Customs publish RIAs for Budget measures on their website.

Equitable Life

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority regarding Equitable Life; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My officials are in touch with the Financial Services Authority for the purposes of co-operating with the parliamentary ombudsman's investigation into the prudential regulation of Equitable Life.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

Des Browne: Progress was reported in Budget 2005 and in the Spring Departmental Report. Further progress will be reported in the Autumn Performance Report and at aggregate level in the pre-Budget report.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

Des Browne: The Finance Director for HMRC, who is a member of the Department's Executive Committee, is the appointed Senior Responsible Officer responsible for the overall delivery of the department's Efficiency programme.

Gold Sales

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the proceeds of gold sales from the UK reserves have been in each year since 1997; and if he will estimate the value of that gold at today's prices.

Ivan Lewis: 395 tonnes of gold were sold from the reserves between July 1999 and March 2002. The proceeds in dollars, and further details, can be found on page 27 of Review of the sale of part of the UK gold reserves" published by the Treasury in October 2002 http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media//9EFEF/Gold Reserves.PDF).
	At closing market prices on 19 October, the total value of this gold would be approximately £3,358 million.
	The programme was part of a prudent restructuring of the foreign currency and gold reserves aimed at achieving a better-balanced portfolio. As a result of the programme a one-off reduction in risk of approximately 30 per cent. was achieved (as measured by Value-at-Risk).
	The proceeds from the sales were reinvested in interest bearing foreign currency assets in broadly the same proportions as the foreign currency assets held in the net reserves (40 per cent. dollars; 40 per cent. euros; and 20 per cent. yen) and these have earned returns over this period.
	It would be inappropriate to measure gains or losses resulting from fluctuations in market values over a short-term period.

Government Efficiency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how regularly he assesses each Department's performance against (a) the efficiency saving targets set out within departmental efficiency technical notes and (b) each public service agreement target and associated indicators;
	(2)  how many reports he has received from the Efficiency Unit with regard to each Department's performance against efficiency savings targets as set out in its efficiency technical notes; and if he will publish them.

Des Browne: Progress against the efficiency targets was reported in Budget 2005. John Oughton, chief executive of the Office of Government Commerce, provides half-yearly reports to the Prime Minister and Chancellor on progress against the efficiency targets. Two such reports have been made to date. These reports will not be published, but departments will publicly report progress in their autumn performance reports.
	Departments report on progress against their PSA targets twice-yearly, in their spring departmental reports and autumn performance reports.

Government Efficiency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many incidents of slippage against departmental efficiency savings, as forecast in efficiency technical notes, have been reported to the Treasury, broken down by Department.

Des Browne: Budget 2005 reported that the Government are ahead of schedule in meeting the target of £20 billion efficiency gains. Departments will report progress towards their efficiency targets, as forecast in efficiency technical notes, in their autumn performance reports.

National Minimum Wage

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many investigations have been undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs following complaints relating to the national minimum wage in each of the last five years in (a) total and (b) the (i) hotel, (ii) retail, (iii) care-home, (iv) security and (v) hairdressing sectors; in how many there has been evidence of non-compliance in each case; and how many penalty payments have been awarded;
	(2)  how many complaints have been made by workers in the (a) hotel, (b) retail, (c) care home, (d) security and (e) hairdressing sectors in respect of alleged breaches of national minimum wage rules in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Sector details are recorded for investigation cases closed during the year. HMRC records details for hotels within the category of hospitality and for care homes within the social care category. Details for security are recorded within the category of security and cleaning. The details held for cases closed for the categories most closely relating to the sectors specified are shown in the following table.
	Details by sector of the number of cases where non-compliance was identified and details of the number of penalty notices issued per sector are not available. To provide these statistics would require a disproportionate amount of time and other resource. However, the figures that are provided in the following table show the total number of complaint cases closed in the year where arrears were identified. Also, the total number of penalty notices issued for all complaint cases is shown for each year.
	
		Number of investigations by sector closed by HMRC that were initiated by a complaint about possible non-payment of the minimum wage.
		
			  Retail Hospitality Hairdressing Security and cleaning Social care Other sectors Total 
		
		
			 2000–01 261 280 152 97 103 850 1743 
			 2001–02 208 260 128 78 87 959 1720 
			 2002–03 304 283 155 65 120 1026 1953 
			 2003–04 241 308 185 70 185 897 1886 
			 2004–05 270 315 192 86 107 981 1951 
		
	
	
		Number of investigations closed by HMRC that were initiated by a complaint about possible non-payment of the minimum wage, and where non-compliance was identified.
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000–01 1209 
			 2001–02 904 
			 2002–03 991 
			 2003–04 992 
			 2004–05 1014 
		
	
	
		Number of investigations closed by HMRC that were initiated by a complaint about possible non-payment of the minimum wage, and where penalty notices were issued during the investigation.
		
			  Number of penalty notices issued 
		
		
			 2000–01 (1)— 
			 2001–02 20 
			 2002–03 18 
			 2003–04 10 
			 2004–05 10 
		
	
	(1) Not known

Sustainable Development

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to publish the next departmental sustainable action plan.

John Healey: The Treasury's next action plan will be published as soon as possible after it has been finalised.

Tax Credits

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what date he expects all on-going disputes about tax credit awards and the recovery of overpayments to be resolved.

Dawn Primarolo: I announced at the hearing of the Treasury Sub-committee earlier today that from next month, subject to final testing of the procedures by HMRC, where a claimant disputes the recovery of an overpayment action will be taken to prevent automatic recovery of any outstanding amount owed, until the TCO has looked into the case and made a decision. This will apply both to the cases on hand and to new cases going forward.

Tax Credits

George Mudie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suspensions of recovery of overpayments where the overpayment is in dispute have taken place since January.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 October 2005
	I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field), on 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 723W.
	From next month, subject to final testing of the procedures by HMRC, where a claimant disputes the recovery of an overpayment action will be taken to prevent automatic recovery of any outstanding amount owed, until the TCO has looked into the case and made a decision. This will apply both to the cases on hand and to new cases going forward.

Tax Liabilities

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people over state pension age have requested an estimate of their tax liability for 2006–07.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC do not provide people with estimates of their tax liability for the coming year.

Tobacco Taxation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the level of UK tobacco taxation on the volume of cigarette smuggling into the UK.

John Healey: HM Revenue and Customs and LSE academics have developed a new economic model of the tobacco market, designed to take full account of the complexities of the modern tobacco market, including the impact of smuggling. The model is published in GES Working Paper No 150 The Demand for Tobacco Products in the UK" December 2004 and is available on HMRC's website.

WALES

Green Ministers

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what (a) work his Department's Green Minister has undertaken in the last three months and (b) meetings that Minister has attended in the last 12 months in his official capacity within that role.

Nick Ainger: I take very seriously my role of ensuring that the Wales Office takes full account of sustainability issues in all aspects of its work.
	On 20 July I spoke at the launch of National Parks Week, referring particularly to the sustainable tourism strategy being developed by the three National Park Authorities together with other partners. Because of its cross-cutting nature, sustainable development is a consideration in most meetings which I attend.
	I am a member of the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD)). Although the Government publishes the title, membership and terms of reference of cabinet committees, it has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose details of their proceedings.

Green Ministers

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the meetings his Department has been present at regarding the delivery of sustainable development across Government as coordinated by the Ministerial Sub-committee of Green Ministers.

Nick Ainger: Following the General Election in May, the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers (ENV(G)) was replaced by the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD)) whose members are departmental Sustainable Development Ministers.
	Although the Government publishes the title, membership and terms of reference of cabinet committees, it has been the practice of successive governments not to disclose details of their proceedings.

Richard Commission

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set a timetable for the implementation of those parts of the Richard Commission Report on powers of the National Assembly for Wales that he intends to implement.

Peter Hain: The Government's proposals are contained in the White Paper Better Governance for Wales" which I published on 15 June.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Staff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the rates of employee absence in her Department have been in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the figures contained in the annual report Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service published by the Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based on. The most recent report for the calendar year 2003 was published on 1 November 2004, copies of which are available in the Library. This report and those for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are available on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management _of_the_civil_service/conditions_of_service/occupation al_health/publications/index.asp
	The Department is fully committed to the management of sickness absence and introduced a new Sickness Absence Management policy on 1 December 2004, which included many of the best practices contained in the Report of the Joint Review by the Ministerial task Force for Health, Safety and Productivity and the Cabinet Office 'Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector' (November 2004), such as;
	Welcome back discussions between line managers and staff returning from sickness absence, on each occasion of absence.
	Prompts for action sent to managers when staff have accumulated 15 and 30 days sickness absence in a rolling 12 month period.
	Dedicated Human Resource professional advice to managers of sickness absence cases.
	Occupational Health referral options for managers who are concerned over the performance of their staff.
	Defra is supporting the recommendations made in the 'Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector' report, by taking part in a trial of more sensitive arrangements for the use of special/compassionate leave.

Flooding

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Environment Agency's flood risk maps indicate areas (a) of known flood risk, (b) of potential risk and (c) where further study is required.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency's Flood Map on the Internet illustrates the areas that could flood in a 1 per cent. (1 in 100) annual probability of flood from rivers and a 0.5 per cent. (1 in 200) probability flood from the sea. This is consistent with the requirements of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Planning Policy Guidance note 25 on Development and Flood Risk. Hence, the flood map shows both areas of known flood risk and potential risk. While it does not identify where further study is required the flood risk maps are subject to a programme of update and refinement. Areas that have previously flooded are shown on a separate historic flood map held by the Environment Agency.

Flooding

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of (a) the number of (i) homes and (ii) businesses and (b) land allocated for development at risk from flooding in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Elliot Morley: For part (a) the Environment Agency's assessment is based on those properties found within the Extreme Flood Outline. This is an area with an annual probability of flooding of 0.1 per cent. (or 1 in 1,000 year chance of flooding). The Environment Agency defines the extent of the natural floodplain as if there were no flood defences or manmade structures in place.
	East Riding of Yorkshire" has been taken to cover the areas of East Riding of Yorkshire and Kingston-Upon-Hull local authorities. There are 146,800 homes and 8,350 businesses. Planning Policy Guidance Note 25, Development and Flood Risk (PPG 25) recommends that when drawing up or revising development plans, local authorities should give priority in allocating sites for development in descending order of flood risk (known as the 'sequential test').
	To make these decisions as well informed as possible, the Environment Agency encourages local authorities to carry out a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment. This assesses flood risk across the whole local authority area, rather than for an individual development, and enables local planning authorities to understand spatial variations in flood risk. Future development proposals can then be assessed in line with the 'sequential test'.
	Both the East Riding of Yorkshire and the City of Hull councils have begun to develop a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and have been in initial consultation with the Environment Agency.
	In the meantime the Environment Agency is providing them with advice and information to assist the process, and continuing to comment on land allocations and individual planning applications in respect of flood risk, through their role as a planning consultee.

Flooding

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on the (a) access to and (b) cost of insurance for people living in areas designated as at risk from flooding, with particular reference to Beverley and Holderness.

Elliot Morley: The Government continues to work with the insurance industry with a mutual aim of continuing affordable domestic flood cover into the future.
	The insurance industry is a competitive and commercial one and makes decisions based on risk, indications from the Association of British Insurers suggest that flood insurance cover remains broadly available to households in areas at risk of flooding, in accordance with their Statement of Principles on this. Premium charges are a matter for individual insurers.

Flooding

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the financial impact on property-owners of flood risk designation in (a) England and (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire since the latest flood maps were published.

Elliot Morley: We have not carried out any such formal assessment. Flood risk mapping is an important part of the Government's strategy on public awareness, to ensure that the risk from flooding is better understood by all concerned. It is important that people living and working in the floodplains should know about the probabilities of flooding so they can take informed decisions about precautionary action. Similarly those responsible for development planning decisions and emergency planning also need this information.

Royal Commission on Environmental Protection Report

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will carry out an investigation into whether a member of her Department leaked a copy of the recent report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Protection.

Elliot Morley: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has no plans to carry out an investigation into whether anyone from Government leaked a copy of the recent report by the Royal Commission on Environmental Protection (RCEP). The RCEP is an independent body and, as such, it is for them to decide how best to deal with the leak.

Sustainable Development

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are planned to improve the environmental performance of products and services within the framework of the Government's sustainable development strategy with particular reference to improved product design.

Elliot Morley: In the Sustainable Development Strategy, published in March, the Government stated its commitment to establish a new Sustainable Design Forum, that will bring together Government, business and the design community to explore and promote ways to embed sustainability in products and design thinking.
	Since then Defra and DTI have been closely involved in developing proposals for the Sustainable Design Forum, as members of a Steering Group that includes representatives from the Design Council, the RSA, Forum for the Future and the Design Business Association. An interim consultants' report on the Forum's possible structure and terms of reference was presented to the Steering Group and published on the Design Council website in July.
	Currently, the Steering Group is working with the consultants in refining these proposals and agreeing the way forward, with a view to establishing the Sustainable Design Forum early in the new year.
	The adoption of the Framework Directive for the Eco-design of Energy Using Products (EUP) on 6 July this year will provide a streamlined and effective route for setting EU-wide environmental requirements for traded goods. The UK, via the Government's Market Transformation Programme, will work proactively with the Commission and other member states to influence and speed the delivery of measures under EUP.

Thames Gateway

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that private landowners in the Thames Gateway maintain effective flood defences within their property.

Elliot Morley: Responsibility for maintaining flood defences rests primarily with individual property owners. However the Environment Agency has a general supervisory duty related to flood defence and can in some circumstances use default powers to maintain and repair such defences.
	As part of a new strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England the Government are looking at ways in which we can encourage individual property owners to adopt measures to improve resilience and resistance to flooding.
	In respect of new developments in the Thames Gateway, planning authorities will be guided by the advice contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 25 on development and flood risk, which provides that current and future flood risk should be taken into account when making planning decisions. The Government plan to consult soon on a revised version of this guidance which will strengthen and clarify how planning authorities should take account of flood risk.

Water Affordability

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress of the establishment of a pilot scheme in the south-west on water affordability.

Elliot Morley: The south-west affordability pilot study will assess the combined effect of benefits checks, water efficiency measures and metering on low income households. It will target, and assess the effectiveness of, water affordability assistance to lower income households in the south-west region.
	The invitations to tender for the south-west pilot study were issued on 8 September. On 11 October we received tenders for the contracts being let for the pilot study. I understand that the timetable, at present, would see the contracts let in October and that the pilot study should be running by early next year.

DEFENCE

Adjutant-General's Office

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any arrests have been made following the reports of fraud at the Adjutant-General's office; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: No arrests have been made, but in order to avoid prejudice to an ongoing police investigation I am unable to comment further.

Airbus A400M

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the delivery schedule for the Airbus A400M; and what the (a) cost and (b) payment terms per unit are.

Adam Ingram: The in-service date of the A400M (defined as acceptance into service of the seventh aircraft) is 2011. We expect delivery of the final (25th) aircraft in 2015. I am withholding the unit costs, as this information is commercially sensitive. There are five stage payments per aircraft.

Aircraft Crashes

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the limitations of the Automatic Flight Control System fitted to Chinook ZA721, which crashed on 27 February 1987, applied to the Chinook HC2 on its introduction to service.

Don Touhig: It has not been possible to locate a copy of the documentation relating to the Chinook HC1 that would have been in force in February 1987. However, the limitations on the Automatic Flight Control System on the Chinook HC 2 on introduction to service were the same as those that were in force in July 1987, with one exception. On the HC1 the Radar altitude hold was not cleared for use, the HC2 release to service did permit use of the Radar Altimeter hold, for
	... use in hovering and low airspeed manoeuvres only, at heights between 75 and 1500ft Above Ground Level. The use of this mode when carrying under slung loads is prohibited."

Air-to-air Refuelling Tankers

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long the existing air-to-air refuelling tankers will remain in service; and what the fuel carrying capacity of the tankers is.

Adam Ingram: The current RAF air-to-air refuelling fleet is made up of Tristar and VC10 aircraft. On current plans these aircraft will all reach their out-of-service dates towards the middle of the next decade.
	The fuel carrying capacity of these aircraft is as follows:
	
		
			 Aircraft KG 
		
		
			 Tristar K1/KC1 131,000 
			 VC10 C1K 70,420 
			 VC10 K3 83,680 
			 VC10 K4 70,390 
		
	
	These figures include fuel used to fly the tanker aircraft.

Armed Forces Deployment

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members, and what percentage, of the Territorial Army are available to be deployed.

Don Touhig: As at 1 September 2005 some 12,000 members of the Territorial Army (TA) were available to be deployed, representing 34 percent. of the total strength.
	The right hon. and learned Member will note that the figure of 12,000 is reached by the exclusion of (among others) personnel who:
	have not completed their mandatory training and/or are in the process of being discharged (approximately 11, 500 personnel)
	are currently mobilised and deployed and/or have exceeded the statutory limits on mobilised service (Section 54 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 limits mobilisation to a total of 12 months in every 36) (approximately 8,100 personnel)
	are members of the University Officer Training Corps (approximately 4,000 personnel)

Brucella Bacteria

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a release of material contaminated by brucella viruses has occurred at his Department's facilities over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: There has been no release of any material contaminated with the brucella bacteria at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory facilities in the last five years.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff are employed by the Defence Export Services Organisation in the UK, broken down by job title.

Adam Ingram: On 1 April 2005, the Defence Export Services Organisation had 375 United Kingdom based staff in post. This total comprised:
	
		
			  Number of staff 
		
		
			 Senior Team and Support Staff 7.5 
			 Regional Directorates (including Military Advisers) 83 
			 Market Analysis 8.5 
			 Business Support 18 
			 Export Support Team (equipment demonstration) 46 
			 Project Offices 124 
			 Communications and Events (including Exhibitions and Inward Visits) 28 
			 Export Licensing Advice and Secretariat 33 
			 Resource Management 27 
			 Total 375

Defence Export Services Organisation

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the overseas offices of the Defence Export Services Organisation are situated; when each office was established; how many staff are employed in each; and what the cost of each (a) was for 200405 and (b) is projected to be for 200506.

Adam Ingram: Defence Supply Secretaries employed by the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) have offices in the countries listed in the table. DESO staff are also employed in support of specific defence export projects in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and their numbers are shown in the table; the costs of those offices are met by the customer government, and I am withholding the information as its release would be likely to prejudice relations with those governments.
	
		
			 Defence Supply Secretary Office Date established Staff 200405 cost (000) Estimated 200506 cost () 
		
		
			 Oman 2003 2 163 167 
			 Chile 2003 2 155 159 
			 Japan 2003 2 149 153 
			 Saudi Arabia 2004 1 76 78 
			 Kuwait 1988 2 148 152 
			 Qatar 1998 1 129 132 
			 UAE 1999 2 90 92 
			 India 1984 5 156 160 
			 South Korea 1988 2 304 312 
			 Malaysia 1986 4.5 199 204 
			 Greece 2000 2 132 135 
			 Brunei 1995 2 132 135 
			 Singapore 2001 1 156 160 
			 Australia 1989 2 106 109 
			 Turkey 1988 1 51 32 
			 South Africa 2000  74 l 
			 Romania 2004 1 107 110 
			 Vietnam 2005 1  5 
			 Project office: 
			 Kuwait 1993 3 (3) (3) 
			 Saudi Arabia 1987 64 (3) (3) 
		
	
	(2) Post closed in 200405.
	(3) Cost met by customer government.

Whittington Barracks

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the Defence Medical Education and Training Agency will be based at the Whittington Barracks at Lichfield; whether the Army Training Regiment will remain at Lichfield; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the future use of Whittington Barracks in Lichfield.

Don Touhig: The future of Whittington Barracks is subject to two outstanding studies. One concerns the co-location of elements of the Defence Medical Educational Training Agency into the site. The other is a study into the capacity requirements for Phase 1 soldier training, which seeks to determine the most economical use of the existing Phase 1 training real estate in the long term. Both of these studies are now due to report in February 2006 and no decisions will be made before that date.

DS30 Mark2 Naval Gun

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the time scale is for the fitting of the DS30 Mark 2 Automatic 30mm Naval Gun to each of the remaining 13 Type-23 frigates.

Adam Ingram: On current plans all Type 23 Frigates will be fitted with the DS30 Mark 2 Automatic 30mm Naval Gun, to replace existing DS30B guns. The new system will be fitted progressively during appropriate planned upkeep or maintenance periods from the end of 2006 onwards. Precise time scales for each vessel have not yet been finalised, although the roll-out programme is expected to be completed by 2014.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which missiles the Eurofighter will be equipped.

Adam Ingram: The UK's Eurofighter Typhoon will be equipped initially with the ASRAAM short range and AMRAAM medium range air to air missiles. Integration of subsequent weapons is being considered under the Typhoon Future Capability Programme; these include the Meteor air to air missile, Storm Shadow cruise missile and Brimstone air to ground missile.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the delivery schedule is for the Eurofighter; and what the (a) cost and (b) payment terms per unit are.

Adam Ingram: Eurofighter Typhoon deliveries to the UK started in 2003 and will continue until 2013 under current contracts. The rate of delivery over this period is between 11 and 21 aircraft per year.
	The unit production cost for Typhoon published in Major Projects Report 2004 was 49.1 million.
	The precise contractual arrangements for the Typhoon programme are commercially sensitive and are agreed between the four partner nations and contracted via the international procurement agency in Munich. However, in line with normal Ministry of Defence practice, interim payments are made against the achievement of technical and programme milestones, with a retention being paid on final delivery and acceptance of the aircraft.

Joint Strike Fighter

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress in acquiring F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the new aircraft carriers.

Adam Ingram: In conjunction with the US and the other international partners within the Joint Strike Fighter programme, we are negotiating the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding for the co-operative production, support and follow on development phase.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists have been (a) mobilised, (b) killed and (c) decommissioned due to injury in Iraq in each year since March 2003.

Don Touhig: holding answer 24 October 2005
	The number of reservists mobilised to support Operation Telic by year since March 2003 is:
	
		
			  Reservists 
		
		
			 2003 8,690 
			 2004 2,460 
			 2005(4) 1,430 
		
	
	(4) As at 21 October 2005
	In the time available it has not been possible to distinguish between those actually serving in Iraq and those supporting Operation Telic in other countries including the UK. In addition, a small number have been mobilised more than once to support the operation. The figures include volunteer, regular and sponsored reservists.
	The number of reservists who have died on operations in Iraq by year since March 2003 is:
	
		
			  Reservists 
		
		
			 2003 4 
			 2004 0 
			 2005(5) 1 
		
	
	(5) As at 21 October 2005
	No Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marine Reserve or Royal Auxiliary Air Force Reservists have been medically discharged as a result of injuries received in Iraq.
	Army information systems do not record where injuries occurred which led to a medical discharge. In order to answer the question a review of individual medical records would have to be undertaken and this could not be completed without incurring disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what compensation has been paid to reservists injured in Iraq since March 2003; and under which scheme.

Don Touhig: holding answer 24 October 2005
	Records are not kept in a way in which common law compensation paid to reservists can be separately identified. Common law compensation including costs of 413,398 has however been paid to service personnel in respect of injuries sustained during Operation Telic since March 2003.
	In addition, the Veterans Agency administers two no-fault compensation schemes. The War Pension Scheme (WPS) provided compensation for illness or injury due to service in the armed forces up to 6 April 2005 whereas the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) has been in operation since that date.
	Information under the WPS is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. There have been no awards of compensation made to reservists injured in Iraq under the AFCS.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how his Department has monitored the health of reservists in Iraq since March 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: holding answer 24 October 2005
	The health of reservists serving in Iraq is monitored through the system of routine provision of healthcare that is provided for all members of the armed forces on operations. Under the Reserve Forces Act 1996, the overarching principle of mobilized service is that reservists have the same levels of access to medical and healthcare as regular forces, wherever they are serving on operations overseas.
	Our policy is that upon mobilization every reservist is given a full medical and dental examination prior to their acceptance into full-time service. The provision of healthcare continues throughout the period of full-time service through to when they return from operations for demobilization. At this point they receive a further medical examination and information about the availability of post-mobilization physical and mental health support.

Iraq

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average weekly expenditure by the Government on military operations in Iraq have been over the last three months; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence cannot provide figures for the cost of operations in Iraq for the last three months because our stocktaking and audit activity to ensure robust and reliable figures is undertaken on an annual basis. In addition, expenditure varies with troop numbers and activities and could not sensibly be broken down on a meaningful weekly basis over such a short period of time.

Matthew Bevan

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made by the investigation into the death of Private Matthew Bevan at Pirbright barracks in June.

Don Touhig: Primacy of jurisdiction for the investigation into sudden deaths in the UK rests with the appropriate civilian police force. The investigation into the death of Private Matthew Bevan is a matter for the Surrey police.

Military Personnel

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total strength is of the Territorial Army; how many members of the Territorial Army (a) collected their bounty and (b) voluntarily left the service in each month since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: As at 1 September 2005, the strength of the Territorial Army (TA) was some 35,500 personnel, including those currently mobilised and deployed but excluding those who are undertaking full-time reserve service. Some 23,550 TA personnel collected their bounty in the financial year 200405. The following table details the numbers of TA personnel who have voluntarily left the service in each month since April 2003.
	
		
			 Month Total number of TA Voluntary leavers 
		
		
			 April 2003 160 
			 May 2003 190 
			 June 2003 170 
			 July 2003 130 
			 August 2003 130 
			 September 2003 190 
			 October 2003 650 
			 November 2003 690 
			 December 2003 280 
			 January 2004 640 
			 February 2004 680 
			 March 2004 680 
			 April 2004 490 
			 May 2004 660 
			 June 2004 560 
			 July 2004 460 
			 August 2004 570 
			 September 2004 480 
			 October 2004 640 
			 November 2004 540 
			 December 2004 320 
			 January 2005 590 
			 February 2005 490 
			 March 2005 430 
			 April 2005 570 
			 May 2005 500 
			 June 2005 470 
			 July 2005 500 
			 August 2005 540

Military Personnel

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) planned and (b) actual strength of all arms of the Territorial Army has been in each year from 1998 to 2005.

Don Touhig: The planned and actual strength of all arms of the Territorial Army (TA) at the start of each financial year from 1998 to 2005 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Planned strength Actual strength 
		
		
			 1998 59,000 56,200 
			 1999 59,000 50,870 
			 2000 44,270 44,210 
			 2001 42,460 40,690 
			 2002 42,460 39,790 
			 2003 41,610 38,510 
			 2004 41,610 37,210 
			 2005 41,610 36,170

Mr. Peter Hall

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the case of Mr. Peter Hall, seeking compensation for internment in the Far East.

Don Touhig: The Veterans Agency is responsible for deciding claims under the Ex-Gratia Payment Scheme for Former Far East Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees. Mr. Peter Hall's claim was rejected because he was unable to show that he met the necessary birthlink criterion, which requires former civilian internees who were British at the time of internment to have been born, or have had a parent or grandparent born, in the UK.
	However, on 7 July 2005, considering the application for judicial review brought by Mrs. Diana Elias, the High Court found that the birth link criterion had resulted in unlawful indirect racial discrimination. After careful consideration, the Ministry of Defence decided to appeal against that decision to the Court of Appeal. Until these legal proceedings have been concluded, that part of the scheme relating to civilian internees has been suspended.
	Should the High Court judgment be upheld, the Department would have to change the eligibility criteria and cases so far rejected would be reviewed in that light.

Parliamentary Counsel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from his Department have (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.

Don Touhig: The information requested is not collected.

Postal Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely change in demand on the British Forces Post Office during the Christmas period; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The British Forces Post Office has planned for a surge in demand over the Christmas period based on the experience of previous years and taking into account the number of service personnel deployed on operations.

Postal Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the performance of the British Forces Post Office against its targets in 200405.

Adam Ingram: The British Forces Post Office (BFPO) is a Defence Agency. It presented its Annual Report and Accounts for 20042005 to Parliament before the summer recess, and a copy is held in the Library of the House. The Annual Report articulated BFPO's performance for 200405, measured against six Key Target areas, sub-divided into 16 performance indicators. The BFPO met the targets set for all six Key Target areas, which was a creditable performance by the Agency.

Postal Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the change in demand on (a) the British Forces Post Office and (b) the Defence Courier Service arising from current operations.

Adam Ingram: The prime focus of British Forces Post Office (BFPO) is to ensure continued support to the Defence community wherever individuals are based including on Operation Telic. Assessments of demand, based on both historical data and future planned operations, are constantly updated to ensure that resources are available to meet the anticipated demands both for the delivery of Protectively Marked Material by the Defence Courier Service, and for all other mail through BFPO. This is normal business for BFPO, and BFPO has met its performance targets in these key areas.

Royal Highland Fusiliers

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) soldiers and (b) other army personnel took part in the 2005 survey of bullying in the Royal Highland Fusiliers; and if he will place a copy of the report of the survey in the Library.

Don Touhig: There has not been a survey specifically related to bullying in which members of 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers have taken part in 2005.

Stuart Henderson

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made by the investigation of the death of Fusilier Stuart Henderson in the Eskopi garrison in Cyprus on 24 September.

Don Touhig: Inquiries into the death of Fusilier Stuart Henderson have not yet been completed. In these circumstances it would be inappropriate to comment further.

Territorial Army

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army (a) officers and (b) other ranks have been mobilised for service overseas within six months of completing their basic training in each of the last five years.

Don Touhig: The information requested is set out in the following table. It should be noted that the figures represent those personnel mobilised in support of operations both overseas and in the United Kingdom.
	
		
			  Officers Soldiers 
		
		
			 2000 1 18 
			 2001 0 36 
			 2002 2 91 
			 2003 3 285 
			 2004 2 66

Type 45 Destroyer

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make available a full copy of the final advice to Ministers concerning the selection of a contractor for the Type 45 Destroyer programme.

Adam Ingram: It is not possible to make available a full copy of the final advice provided to Ministers as to do so would be prejudicial to the provision of full and frank advice to Ministers and could prejudice the commercial interests of the companies involved. I will, however, send the hon. Member a copy of a summary of the information held on this issue and certain papers included with the final advice to Ministers that have recently been made available in response to a request for information. I will place copies of the documents in the Library of the House.

Warrior Armoured Vehicle

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to upgrade the weaponry on the Warrior armoured personnel carrier.

Adam Ingram: A programme has been established to investigate potential options for improving the lethality of the Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

Warships

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the BAE Systems built vessel Mounts Bay will be given lead ship status in the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) project.

Adam Ingram: As a result of delays to the Swan Hunter programme, Mounts Bay, built by BAE Systems, was the first of the four LSD(A)s to undergo sea trials and is expected to be the first of the four ships to be delivered. In this context she can be defined as the lead ship; however, Largs Bay, built by Swan Hunter, remains the First of Class vessel and as such is the benchmark against which the performance of the other three vessels will be judged.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Ministerial Meetings

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the meetings with non-governmental organisations and individuals which (a) he and (b) each minister in his Department has attended in his official capacity over the last three months.

Alan Johnson: Ministers meet many individuals and organisations and attend many functions relating to Government business, and as part of the process of policy development. To provide the detailed information requested would incur disproportionate cost. The daily on the record briefing by the Prime Minister's official spokesman regularly provides details of Ministers' public engagements.

Regional Development Agencies (Arts Expenditure)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has issued advice to regional development agencies about the use of public money for concept statues or sculptures.

Alun Michael: holding answer 25 October 2005
	No. It is for England's Regional Development Agencies to address the economic development and regeneration needs of their regions, in the way that does most for the regions. The Regional Development Agency can make a grant, provided it is consistent with its statutory purposes and the strategic priorities set out in the regional economic strategies of the regions.

TRANSPORT

A11

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 1077W, on transport, after advice has been taken from Eastern region on its priorities for transport investment, when he expects a final decision to be made on the dualling of the A11 in Suffolk.

Stephen Ladyman: We expect to receive the eastern region's advice on its priorities for investment in transport, housing and economic development at the end of January 2006, and to respond during the spring. It is not possible to say how far our response will include final decisions on specific schemes until we have seen and assessed the advice.

Barges (Bridge Strikes)

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action has been taken by public authorities against barge drivers or owners as a result of bridge strikes on the Thames in the last 20 years.

Stephen Ladyman: Since 1995 there have been 10 recorded instance of motorised barges, or dumb barges under tow, striking a bridge in the Port of London Authority area of jurisdiction. Of these one master was successfully prosecuted under S108 of the Port of London Act; two masters were issued formal written reprimands by the Harbour Master; three investigations resulted in amendments to regulations and/or company operating instructions; in two cases enforcement action was not considered appropriate. One incident remains under investigation. In seven cases, the masters were qualified Watermen or Lightermen. In the three other incidents, the master held either a national Boat Masters Licence or a STCW certificate. Of the 10 incidents all bar one were classified as minor/slight. The Battersea Road Bridge incident, currently under investigation, is classified as Serious.
	Only 10 years of data are currently available.

Drivers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the resources available to older drivers to assess their competence to continue to drive.

Stephen Ladyman: There are 16 mobility centres in the UK which provide advice, through assessment, on the driving competence of older people and disabled people, including the Department for Transport's own Mobility Advice and Vehicle Information Service (MAVIS). The Department for Transport provides funding support for the 11 mobility centres based in England. These centres provide advice where a medical condition has been identified that may affect driving competence, or where concern has been expressed about competence to drive. They also provide advice, information and assessment to any older or disabled drivers who contact them. In addition, many local authorities, through their Road Safety Officers, have developed initiatives to provide advice on competence to drive. Some of these schemes give advice through leaflets, while several provide an on-road driving assessment and report.

Motorways

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason warning signs advising motorists of lane closures on 17 August on the M1 in the vicinity of junction 29 were only posted on the northbound carriageway itself and not on the southbound carriageway.

Stephen Ladyman: The opposite carriageway is not signed when working on the other side.
	On the night in question lanes 1, 2 and 3 were closed on the northbound carriageway between junctions 29 and 30 to enable lane 2 to be resurfaced as part of the Junction 29 to 30 major resurfacing scheme. The northbound traffic was using the hard shoulder throughout the works.
	Variable Message Signs (VMS) on the northbound carriageway south of Junction 28 were activated to advise motorists to expect delays on approaching the overnight works since there was only one traffic lane running through the works.
	On the southbound carriageway, the hard shoulder and lane 1 were closed over a length of approximately 200 metres for minor works. These works were complete before 00.15 hours and the traffic management was not on for a significant length of time. There were therefore no traffic queues on the southbound carriageway and no reason to activate the VMS to advise motorists to expect congestion on approaching these minor works.

Motorways

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) undertaken on the safety implications of using the hard shoulder as a running lane.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency undertook research into the safety implications of using the hard shoulder as a running lane before including proposals for a pilot in Strategic Roads 2010, its response to the 10-year Transport Plan. The research included reviews of international experience and the Agency's own experience of using the hard shoulder as a running lane during motorway maintenance. It concluded that with appropriate monitoring, control systems and operating procedures safety levels can be maintained.
	As part of the Active Traffic Management (ATM) project, being implemented between junctions 3A and 7 of the M42, extensive safety evaluation and research has been carried out prior to the consideration and use of the hard shoulder as a running lane. This pilot is scheduled to introduce controlled use of the hard shoulder as a running lane by March 2007, with the primary objective of ensuring that safety is not compromised. There is also extensive monitoring to establish the before and after effects of the pilot.
	Documents have previously been made available which outline some of the research that has been carried out to support the safety aspects of hard shoulder running.

Multi-modal Study (Tyneside)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to implement the conclusions of the Tyneside area multi-modal study.

Stephen Ladyman: The Secretary of State's response to the conclusions of the Tyneside area multi-modal study is set out in the letter to the north east assembly of 9 July 2003 has been placed in the Libraries. Since this announcement, the Highways Agency has continued to develop proposals to improve the junctions on the A19 as recommended by the study. However, further progress on these specific schemes will be dependent on the advice the region provides to the Secretary of State on its transport priorities as part of the regional funding allocation process. The Highways Agency has also continued to develop proposals to reduce congestion on the A1 through Tyneside, but further progress will be subject to complementary work by local authorities in developing a strategy to reduce travel demand in future years. The Tyne and Wear local authorities have included a congestion strategy in their local transport plan for 200611 and the Tyne and Wear authorities have bid for Government financial support through the transport innovation fund to help with further development of their demand management options. We expect to announce the successful bids under this initiative by the end of this year.

Railways

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers (a) died and (b) were seriously injured while travelling on rail services provided by C2C Rail Ltd and its predecessors in each year from 1976.

Derek Twigg: Information on rail passenger fatalities and injuries is held by the Health and Safety Executive only on a national and regional basis, not by line or train operator.

Thames Port Development

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely impact on the Thames Estuary fishing industry of the proposed dredging of the Estuary as part of the Thames Port development.

Stephen Ladyman: The matters considered by the Secretary of State are set out in his minded view letter of 20 July 2005 to the applicant for the proposed port. Paragraphs 31 and 66 of that letter and paragraph 15.2.12 of the inspector's report address the question of the likely impact on the fishing industry in the area.

Thames Port Development

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evidence he received during the public inquiry into the Thames Port proposal on the impact of the proposed work on (a) biodiversity and (b) the fishing industry, with particular reference to dredging in the Thames.

Stephen Ladyman: Evidence on potential impacts of the proposed port on biodiversity and on the fishing industry from dredging in the Thames was provided to the public inquiry which was held into the proposed port and on which the inspector reported to the Secretary of State. A significant amount of evidence on these topics was contained in the environmental statement and other submissions provided by the applicant. Evidence was also provided in submissions from a number of organisations and individuals.

Transport Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the operation of section 175 of the Transport Act 2000.

Stephen Ladyman: No regulations have been made under section 175 of the Transport Act 2000.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult Community Learning

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the possible effects of the funding settlement for future financial years for adult community learning on (a) course fees, (b) the choice of courses available, (c) the number of places available and (d) the competitiveness of the UK's skills-based economy.

Phil Hope: We announced on 21 October that we would safeguard 210 million for learning for personal and community development in 2006/07. On (a) we aim to increase fees in line with our wider fees policy for Further Education which is to work with the sector to establish with individuals and employers that they should pay at least 50 per cent. of course costs by the end of the decade, with safeguards for disadvantaged learners. On (b) there will continue to be a wide range of courses for adults. On (c) we should maintain the number of places in learning for personal and community development funded from the safeguarded budget. On (d) I would not expect any direct impact on the competitiveness of the UK's skills based economy from this type of learning but these courses do have wider benefits both to the individual and to society.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will to reply to the letter to her dated 30 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Nazia Parveen.

Beverley Hughes: My right hon. Friend, the Minister for Children, Young People and Families expects to be able to respond to the right hon. Member's letter of 30 August by 26 October. I understand my hon. Friend has received an interim reply explaining that it was necessary to obtain further information for a full reply.

Correspondence

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether (a) she or (b) other Ministers in her Department use an automated signing machine or stamp for ministerial correspondence.

Bill Rammell: Guidance on handling ministerial correspondence is set out in Handling Correspondence from Members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords, MEPs and Members of Devolved Assemblies: Guidance for Departments copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Automated signatures may be used in exceptional circumstances, for example when dealing with campaign correspondence, however all replies to ministerial correspondence are cleared by Ministers before being issued. Other than that all correspondence is signed by hand.

Degrees (Braintree)

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of the working age population in the Braintree constituency hold a qualification at degree level or above.

Bill Rammell: From the 2004/05 Annual Local Labour Force Survey, the percentage of the working age population in the Braintree constituency that hold a qualification at degree level or above is 21.2 per cent. This compares with 20.1 per cent. for Essex and 25.9 per cent. for England.

Departmental Rebranding

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on rebranding in (a) her Department and (b) related agencies in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: Spend on rebranding for my Department and related agencies in the last five years, is as follows:
	
		
			  Department or Agency Cost (000) 
		
		
			 2001 DfES 56 
			 200103 Teacher Training agency 88 
			 200103 LSC 45

Education Funding

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of (a) revenue and (b) capital funding for (i) maintained schools, (ii) maintained faith schools and (iii) academies came from public sources in (A) 200405 and (B) 200506.

Jacqui Smith: The proportion of revenue funding from public sources to all maintained schools and academies is estimated to be in excess of 97 per cent., both for 200405 and 200506. The balance of up to 3 per cent. includes the following categories of income: (a) facilities and services (b) catering (c) supply teacher insurance claims and other insurance claims (d) income from contributions to visits and similar activities.
	No records are kept centrally which distinguish between faith and non-faith schools. The proportion of capital expenditure from public sources to all maintained schools and academies is estimated to approach 100 per cent., except as noted below. On Academy start up, private sector sponsors contribute up to around 2 million towards an average cost of 25 million. Public sources generally contribute 90 per cent. of Voluntary Aided Schools, with sponsors contributing the remaining 10 per cent.

Education Funding

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to change Government funding for (a) Havering college and (b) Havering sixth form college.

Bill Rammell: On the 21 October I made an announcement, setting out the Government's strategic direction for the learning and skills sector for the coming period. My main purpose for doing so is to ensure the 200607 funding allocations process begin with a clear and concise message on the priorities and principles that will underpin funding over the next two years.
	In addition, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) published Priorities for Successa document that sets out the funding strategy for the next two years in more detail. This document is available on the LSC's website.
	Although more funding will be going into the sector, we will focus public funding even more strongly on key priorities of raising participation and achievement for 1619 year olds and driving down the skills deficit in the adult workforce and continue to rebalance the contributions of the state, individuals and employers to the costs of learning.
	The Chancellor announced in the 2004 spending review settlement for education and skills in April 2004, that there will be over 1 billion of additional investment in the learning and skills sector by 200708. We will not know what this will mean for regional and local budgets until allocations are made by the National LSC Office, following receipt of the grant letter from my Department.

Further Education

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the research on further education (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by (i) her Department and (ii) the Learning and Skills Council in each year since 2001.

Bill Rammell: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will bring further education lecturers' pay into line with that of teachers; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Further education colleges and sixth form colleges are autonomous bodies, which negotiate pay and conditions with staff and their unions without Government involvement either nationally or locally. The Government have no plans to impose a national pay structure on further education colleges.

Further Education

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make an assessment of the merits of ring-fencing Learning and Skills Council funds for lecturers' pay; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have worked hard with the LSC to simplify funding arrangements including reducing the number of separate budgets for further education. This has reduced bureaucracy and has made college funding more simple and transparent. We would be reluctant to reverse this process, which has been welcomed by colleges and their staff. Success for All, the strategy for reforming further education and training, makes clear that the Government's approach to pay is to enable local flexibility to meet local needs and to encourage a clear link between pay and individual performance. FE colleges and sixth form colleges are autonomous bodies, which negotiate pay and conditions with staff and their unions without Government involvement either nationally or locally.

Key Stage Tests

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of secondary school pupils achieved level 5 and above at key stage 3 in (a) reading, (b) writing, (c) mathematics and (d) reading, writing and mathematics combined in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2004.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information, including the data for 2005, is shown in the following table.
	
		Key stage 3 results 200205
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 or above 
			  2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Reading  68 65 68 
			 Writing  65 72 76 
			 Mathematics 67 71 73 74 
			 Reading, writing and mathematics   57 59 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Reading and writing results were not collected in 2002. Reading and writing was assessed in a single paper prior to and including 2002 therefore the results could not be reported separately until 2003.
	2. The reading, writing and mathematics combined figure for 2003 is unavailable. These figures are held separately and cannot be matched reliably enough to give an accurate national result.
	3. Figures are for all schools in England.

Key Stage Tests

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the relative attainment at key stage 3 between (a) boys and girls and (b) those eligible and ineligible for freeschool meals since the launch of the key stage 3 strategy.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the attainment of pupils in key stage 3 tests by characteristics are published on the Department's website. Figures for 2004 are available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000564/index.shtml
	Figures for 2002 and 2003 are available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000448/index.shtml
	A gender breakdown of the 2001 figures is available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000344/index.shtml
	The 2001 figures cannot be broken down into those eligible and ineligible for free school meals.

Looked-after Children

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated in 200506 to helping children who run away from care homes; and what steps are being taken to tackle the problem.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Health published 'Children Missing from Care and Homea guide to good practice' in November 2002, in tandem with the Social Exclusion Unit's report Young Runaways. This was issued, along with Circular LAC (2002)17 under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, making the guidance a requirement for local authorities. This guidance requires that protocols about the management of 'missing from care incidents' are drawn up with the police and that a senior manager is appointed to monitor these and that there should be regular reports to council members with responsibility for corporate parenting on patterns of children going missing from care.
	This guidance supports the requirements that are set out in the Children's Homes Regulations 2002 and the Fostering Services Regulations 2002 and their related national minimum standards, that all homes and fostering services should have explicit procedures to follow when children in their care may be missing or absent.
	Information about costs incurred by local authorities or other agencies in responding to incidents when children go missing from care is not collected centrally.

National Vocational Qualifications

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 962W on national vocational qualifications; how many national vocational qualifications were awarded (a) in food preparation and cooking and (b) without the nutrition element in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The numbers of National Vocational Qualifications awarded in Food Preparation and Cooking in each of the last five years are set out in the following table.
	
		National vocational qualifications awarded in food preparation and cooking
		
			 Year of award Number of awards (rounded to the nearest 100) 
		
		
			 1999/2000 6,400 
			 2000/01 8,800 
			 2001/02 8,200 
			 2002/03 14,000 
			 2003/04 15,000 
		
	
	Source:
	National Information System for Vocational Qualifications
	It is not possible to identify qualifications awarded in food preparation and cooking without the nutrition element.

Overseas University Students

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many overseas students attended universities in England in 200405; and how much they contributed to the income of these universities.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the table. Figures for 2004/5 will not be available until January 2006.
	
		
			  Non-EU overseas students at English HE Institutions 2003/04 
		
		
			 Number of students(6) 161,600 
			 Income from HE course fees ( million) 1,121.5 
		
	
	(6) Postgraduate and undergraduate students. Rounded to the nearest 100.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Private Children's Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the decision in R. v. Leonard Cheshire Foundation (2002) H.R.L.R.30 on the applicability of the Human Rights Act 1998 to privately-run children's homes.

Maria Eagle: This case relates to adults who expected to live out the remainder of their lives in a particular residential care home. Although sometimes older children in particular are placed in a children's home until such time as they are ready for a move to independence, for most children such placements are made on a much shorter-term basis.
	Before placing a child in a children's home, local authorities need to take a clear view of the stability and viability of the home, and its ability to provide care to meet the child's individual needs for the required period of time. I would expect a local authority placing a child in a children's home to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the child's human rights are protected.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from her Department have (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected.

Schools

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 361W, on school play areas, if she will publish the data her Department collects from local education authorities on the suitability of sports provision within school premises.

Jacqui Smith: Data collected by my Department from education authorities on the suitability of sports facilities will be published by the end of December on the Department's Teachernet website.

Schools

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what is the average distance travelled by children from home to (a) secondary schools and (b) primary schools is in (i) Ribble Valley and (ii) Lancashire.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been provided in the following table.
	
		Average distance(7) travelled from home to school in miles
		
			  Primary pupils(8) Secondary pupils(9) 
		
		
			 England 0.8 1.9 
			 Lancashire local authority 0.8 2.0 
			 Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency 1.0 2.9 
		
	
	(7) Distances calculated are straight line and take no account of the route pupils follow in order to get to school.
	(8) Includes middle deemed primary.
	(9) Includes middle deemed secondary, CTCs and academies.
	Source:
	Annual School Census 2005 Final.

Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many recorded incidents of physical assault by students on staff there were in each secondary school in (a) Havering, (b) Essex and (c) Greater London in each of the past five years.

Jacqui Smith: Injuries at work due to violence, which result in absence for more than three days, are reportable to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR95). Figures for England show that there have been no fatal injuries to teachers since recording began under RIDDOR95. The following table shows the number of non-fatal injuries to secondary school workers involving acts of violence where the assailant was a student reported to HSE's Field Operations Directorate in Essex and Greater London between 2001/02 and 2003/04, the only years for which data are available.
	
		
			  Havering Essex Greater London 
		
		
			 2001/02
			 Non-fatal major injury 0 0 0 
			 Over-3-day injury 0 0 0 
			 All reported injuries 0 0 0 
			 
			 2002/03
			 Non-fatal major injury 0 0 0 
			 Over-3-day injury 0 0 3 
			 All reported injuries 0 0 3 
			 
			 2003/04
			 Non-fatal major injury 0 1 2 
			 Over-3-day injury 0 5 5 
			 All reported injuries 0 6 7 
		
	
	Note:
	Secondary school level data is not available.
	Source:
	Health and Safety Executive.

Schools

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she has issued to local authorities on improving capacity within schools to increase parental choice.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 18 October 2005
	This Government are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of real choice for parents and pupils so that they can chose between excellent local schools. Parents have the right to express a preference for whatever school they wish their child to attend and we want as many parents as possible to be able to send their child to their preferred school.
	School admission authorities have a statutory duty to comply with parental preference, unless a particular school is oversubscribed, in which case places must be allocated according to the published admission arrangements.
	We have introduced a number of measures to make it easier for the best schools to expand in line with parental demand including making dedicated capital funding available for the expansion of successful and popular secondary schools. Schools wishing to expand must follow a statutory processconsulting interested parties and publishing a statutory notice. The final decision is taken by the local School Organisation Committee (SOC) or an independent Schools Adjudicator. Our guidance to SOCs and adjudicators makes it clear that there is a presumption in favour of approving proposals to expand a successful and popular school.

Schools

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her Department's policy is on supplying schools directly with printed publications for use in classrooms.

Jacqui Smith: The Department's method on sending printed publications automatically to schools in England is set out in the new relationship with schools document. The Department ceased sending printed publications to schools in 2004 as detailed research showed that schools wanted to be able to choose the printed publications they required.
	We have given schools this choice by introducing the online ordering system which enables schools to choose whether to download electronic copies or order the paper based publications they need at the right time for them and in the multiples they require. A fortnightly email service to schools informs them of new and important publications.
	This has resulted in schools being able to order a wider variety of publications from the Department, putting schools in direct control of what they receive and when they receive it.

Schools

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what basis funds from the Schools Access Initiative are allocated to local education authorities.

Jacqui Smith: Funds from the Schools Access Initiative are allocated to local authorities on the basis of the relative number of pupils in each authority, aggregated from schools' census data. 84 million per annum has been allocated to local authority schools, and 16 million per annum to voluntary aided schools. Further information on the initiative can be found on www.teachernet.gov.uk.

Schools

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the servicing of historic debt relating to the land and buildings of foundation schools will be transferred to such schools; whether a group of schools can become a single foundation; and if she will set out the financial regime for foundation schools.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 24 October 2005
	When a school changes category to become a foundation school, all land (including buildings) held by the local authority for the purposes of the school transfers to and vests in the foundation body or the governing body of the new school if it has no foundation. The transfer would include any rights or liabilities enjoyed or incurred by the authority in connection with the land and may include certain contractual financial liabilities. However, any liability of a local authority in respect of the principal of, or any interest on, a loan is excluded from transfer. In the first instance it is for the local authority and the school to agree on what land, rights and liabilities should transfer.
	It is possible for a charitable foundation to act for more than one school and so far as recurrent funding is concerned, there is no difference in the arrangements between community, foundation and voluntary schools.

Student Finance

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university students have been affected by the decision to take the income of step-parents into account when calculating student support.

Bill Rammell: The number of new students in England and Wales beginning their studies in the 2004/05 academic year who could have potentially been affected by the change in regulations to include the income of co-habiting partners in the means-testing of student support is around 10,000.
	However, not all of these students may have been affected by the change in regulations since family income may remain below the threshold at which private contributions towards support begins. Similarly, income may have already been above the threshold at which means-tested support ends without the inclusion of a co-habiting partner's income.
	Data cover parents who are single, separated, divorced or widowed who are living with a partner, either married or unmarried.

Student Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the costs incurred by local education authorities in transferring to a national system of processing student loan applications in 2004; whether a regulatory impact assessment was published; what reimbursement such authorities received for such costs; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the costs incurred by local education authorities in processing student loan applications in 200506; and by what system such authorities will be reimbursed for such costs.

Bill Rammell: Provision for the costs of administering student finance applications is made within the overall funding for education provided to local authorities (LA). It is for LAs to determine how much they spend on student finance administration within that settlement. Some LAs have claimed that their costs increased as a result of the introduction of the national Protocol IT system in 200405. We are therefore investigating this issue but do not intend to make a decision on reimbursement until the costs for the 200506 financial year are known. This work will be completed around early summer 2006.
	When the policy was being developed, the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) process was not triggered by impacts purely on the public sector. Although we therefore did not conduct a RIA, we consulted extensively with LAs throughout policy development and implementation and agreed all major decisions with them.

Sure Start

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of Sure Start programmes on the (a) development, (b) language and (c) behaviour of under-fives; and on what evidence the assessment was based.

Beverley Hughes: A large scale, comprehensive evaluation of Sure Start local programmes is under way which will assess, among other outcomes, the cognitive, behavioural and language development of 8,000 children living in communities served by Sure Start. Children have been assessed at 9 months and will be assessed again at age 3 and 5, and compared to children in similar circumstances who do not live in an SSLP area.
	Assessments of children's development are made using standardised assessment scales. These include a measure of how many words a child uses, their ability to recognise numbers and shapes and observing the child's behaviour. These assessments are undertaken by trained researchers. Parents are also interviewed and other background characteristics of the family are collected.
	An assessment of speech and language development in SSLPs showed that the proportion of children with a high number of words at age 2 and whose parents had no concerns about their child's language, rose from 70 per cent. to 76 per cent. between 2001 to 2004.

University Endowments

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made on the pilot scheme for matched funding to help universities build up new endowments.

Bill Rammell: In our response in December 2004 to the Voluntary Giving Task Force report, we announced that we would make available pump-priming matched funding of 7.5 million over three years to help English institutions build their capacity to raise income from donations and we invited Universities UK to bring forward suitable proposals and administer the scheme. Universities UK, having invited applications, are currently considering an encouraging number of proposals from institutions, and expect to announce allocations before the end of this financial year.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Algerian Nationals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Algerian nationals have been removed from the UK in each of the last eight years.

Tony McNulty: The exact information requested is not available. Removals from the UK are split into two separate categories, asylum removals and non-asylum removals. Information on non-asylum removals, broken down by nationality, prior to 2004 is not available. Only information on asylum removals, broken down by nationality, is available for each of the last eight years.
	Information on non-asylum removals, broken down by nationality, is only available from 2004. In 2004, there were 335 non-asylum, Algerian nationals, removed. This figure has been rounded to the nearest five and is provisional.
	The most recently published statistics on asylum removals, which includes voluntary departures and assisted returns, covers the second quarter of 2005, this has been published in the quarterly asylum statistics bulletin available from the Home Office website. Also, information on removals, including voluntary departures and voluntary returns, of asylum seekers, 1996 to 2004, has been published in the asylum statistics United Kingdom 2004 statistical bulletin. These publications can be found on the Home Office website:
	athttp://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Anti-social Behaviour (Gravesham)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance the Government have given to local authorities concerning vandalism in Gravesham.

Hazel Blears: In July 2004 the Government restated its commitment to tackling crime and disorder through the publication of the 2004 spending review, which included a Home Office target to bring crime levels down by a further 15 percent. between 200203 and 200708, and more in those areas with the highest crime. The crimes covered by this target include vandalism. Through the Government Offices for the regions and the Welsh Assembly Government, we have negotiated three year targets with each crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) in England and community safety partnership (CSP) in Wales as their contribution to the delivery of the national target.
	In the south-east, the Government Office has taken forward these arrangements via a series of communications with partners, including a regional target-setting event. They also spent time with Gravesham CDRP discussing the targets to be achieved by 200708. In terms of volume, criminal damage was the largest contributor and the importance of reducing this type of crime was therefore stressed. Gravesham subsequently set a target to reduce criminal damage, including vandalism, by 30 percent.
	As part of the TOGETHER campaign, we have also published a range of step-by-step guides on tackling various aspects of antisocial behaviour, with two more in preparation. Much of the advice in these documents is applicable to vandalism. We are also currently collecting examples of good practice that will be disseminated to all partnerships later this year to help them drive down vandalism in their areas.

Anti-social Behaviour (Gravesham)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for acts of vandalism in the Gravesham area in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: There is no specific offence of vandalism. Most behaviour which we understand as vandalism would probably be covered by the offence of criminal damage, although the two might not always be exactly the same.
	The available information from the Home Office Court Proceedings database on the number of offenders found guilty of criminal damage in Kent police force area is contained in the table. It is not possible to identify those convicted in the Gravesham area, as the data is not collected at this level of detail. Statistics for 2004 will be available mid November.
	
		Number of offenders found guilty of criminal damage at all courts, Kent police force area 19972003(10)
		
			 Offence description Principal statute 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Other criminal damage Criminal damage (value of damage over 5,000) Criminal Damage Act 1971. Explosive Substances Act 1883 Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Area Act 1979 Post Office Act 1953 Malicious Damage Act 1861 149 233 173 187 180 257 339 
			 Criminal damage (value of damage 5,000 or less) and causing damage to an allotment through negligence or any unlawful act Criminal Damage Act 1971 Allotments Act 1922 859 1,047 1,080 970 917 882 1,025 
		
	
	(10) These data are on the principal offence basis.

Child Abuse Investigations

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the interviewing techniques used with possible victims in child abuse investigations.

Hazel Blears: Guidance on interviewing vulnerable or intimidated witnesses (VIWs) is contained in 'Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance for Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses, including Children' issued in January 2002. This guidance became operational in May 2002 when it superseded Memorandum of Good Practice on Video Recorded Interviews with Child Witnesses for Criminal Proceedings. Victims in sexual offence proceedings are considered to be intimidated. Other witnesses in these casesbut not the accusedmay also be treated as vulnerable or intimidated.
	Achieving Best Evidence covers preparing and planning for interviews with VIWs, decisions about whether or not to conduct an interview and decisions about whether the interview should be video recorded or whether it would be more appropriate for a written statement to be taken. It covers the interviewing of such witnesses both for the purposes of making a video-recorded statement and also for taking a written statement, their preparation for court and any subsequent court appearance.
	Other guidance includes: 'Guidance on the Recording of Interviews with Vulnerable and Significant (Key) Witnesses' issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers; and 'Complex Child Abuse Investigations: Inter-agency issues' issued jointly by the Home Office and Department of Health.

Community Support Officers

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers are in post in (a) each police force area and (b) each district council area in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: Information on the number of community support officers (CSOs) for each force at 30 June 2005 is set out in the table. We do not collect the number of CSOs at district council level.
	Data on CSOs at basic command unit level for each force can be found on the Home Office website at
	http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/community-policing/community-support-officers.
	
		Community support officer numbers as at 30 June 2005
		
			 Force Numbers 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 144 
			 Bedfordshire 37 
			 Cambridgeshire 80 
			 Cheshire 80 
			 City of London 14 
			 Cleveland 91 
			 Cumbria 17 
			 Derbyshire 43 
			 Devon and Cornwall 78 
			 Dorset 50 
			 Durham 73 
			 Dyfed-Powys 25 
			 Essex 174 
			 Gloucestershire 66 
			 Greater Manchester 263 
			 Gwent 85 
			 Hampshire 26 
			 Hertfordshire 110 
			 Humberside 20 
			 Kent 102 
			 Lancashire 178 
			 Leicestershire 100 
			 Lincolnshire 72 
			 Merseyside 164 
			 Metropolitan Police 2,105 
			 Norfolk 66 
			 North Wales 60 
			 North Yorkshire 75 
			 Northamptonshire 39 
			 Northumbria 129 
			 Nottinghamshire 112 
			 South Wales 120 
			 South Yorkshire 124 
			 Staffordshire 62 
			 Suffolk 35 
			 Surrey 105 
			 Sussex 240 
			 Thames Valley 113 
			 Warwickshire 60 
			 West Mercia 82 
			 West Midlands 259 
			 West Yorkshire 413 
			 Wiltshire 43 
			 Totals 6,334 
		
	
	Note:
	1. Figures are full-time equivalent, therefore because of rounding, there may be discrepancy between totals and the sum of the constituent parts.

IMPACT

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to publish the business case for the police national intelligence database, IMPACT; and if he will make a statement on the progress of the project.

Hazel Blears: The IMPACT programme has made significant progress on two fronts. It will deliver, by the end of 2005, a national index of names (the IMPACT nominal index) which will enable any force to check where information is held on individuals by other forces. A programme definition project is being finalised. Under it, plans will be set out for longer term improvements in police information management, including the future of the police national computer.
	A fuller statement on progress in implementing the Bichard recommendations will be placed before the House shortly. This will include a more detailed statement about the progress of the IMPACT programme. For commercial reasons, business cases are not released until contracts have been signed and associated contractual activities completed.

IMPACT

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the date by which IMPACT will be in service in each police authority area in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: The IMPACT programme is intended to deliver improved police information management and information sharing systems over the next five years. The first application, a national index of names (the IMPACT nominal index) will be deployed into a child abuse investigation unit in every force in England and Wales by the end of 2005. Together with the interim police local cross-check (pending full police local cross-check delivered as part of the IMPACT programme on which preparatory work continues) this will enable police forces and the Criminal Records Bureau to check where information is held on individuals by other forces. Further decisions about the implementation timetable will be made by the end of March 2006.

Road Traffic Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females were (i) charged and (ii) found guilty in (A) Essex and (B) England and Wales of an offence under (1) sections 22 and 22A, (2) section 27, (3) sections 28 and 29, (4) section 30 and (5) section 41A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: Statistics of persons charged with crimes are not collected centrally.
	Information from the Home Office Court Proceedings database is contained in the table and gives the number of males and females found guilty at all courts of sections 22, 22A, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 41A Road Traffic Act 1988 in Essex and England and Wales, 19992003. (Statistics for 2004 will be available late November). 
	
		Number of offenders by sex, found guilty of various offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 in Essex and England and Wales, 19992003(11)
		
			   Essex 
			   1999 2000 
			 Offence description Principal statute Male Female Male Female 
		
		
			 Leaving vehicle in a dangerous position Road Traffic Act s.22 3  5  
			   
			 Causing danger by causing anything to be on a road, interfering with a vehicle or traffic equipment Road Traffic Act s.22A as added by Road Traffic Act 1991 s.6 4  1  
			   
			 Offences in relation to dogs under the Act Road Traffic Act s.27 
			   
			 Reckless and dangerous driving by pedal cyclist Road Traffic Act s.28 1  1  
			   
			 Careless driving by pedal cyclist Road Traffic Act s.29 3  2  
			   
			 Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs Road Traffic Act s.30 
			   
			 Brakes defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.16 and 18 and Sch. 3; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 8 3 12 2 
			   
			 Steering defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.29; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 
			   
			 Tyres defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.2527; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 170 19 122 17 
		
	
	
		
			   Essex 
			   2001 2002 2003 
			 Offence description Principal statute Male Female Male Female Male Female 
		
		
			 Leaving vehicle in a dangerous position Road Traffic Act s.22  1 1  2 1 
			 
			 Causing danger by causing anything to be on a road, interfering with a vehicle or traffic equipment Road Traffic Act s.22A as added by Road Traffic Act 1991 s.6 17  
			 
			 Offences in relation to dogs under the Act Road Traffic Act s.27 1  
			 
			 Reckless and dangerous driving by pedal cyclist Road Traffic Act s.28   
			 
			 Careless driving by pedal cyclist Road Traffic Act s.29 3  
			 
			 Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs Road Traffic Act s.30 1  1
			 
			 Brakes defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.16 and 18 and Sch. 3; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 15 1 14 2 6  
			 
			 Steering defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.29; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 2  
			 
			 Tyres defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.2527; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 101 7 70 6 54 4 
		
	
	
		
			   England and Wales 
			   1999 2000 
			 Offence description Principal statute Male Female Male Female 
		
		
			 Leaving vehicle in a dangerous position Road Traffic Act s.22 123 25 90 12 
			   
			 Causing danger by causing anything to be on a road, interfering with a vehicle or traffic equipment Road Traffic Act s.22A as added by Road Traffic Act 1991 s.6 90 4 83 5 
			   
			 Offences in relation to dogs under the Act Road Traffic Act s.27 36 68 28 37 
			   
			 Reckless and dangerous driving by pedal cyclist Road Traffic Act s.28 28 1 22 1 
			   
			 Careless driving by pedal cyclist Road Traffic Act s.29 101 4 81 3 
			   
			 Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs Road Traffic Act s.30 73 3 58  
			   
			 Brakes defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.16 and 18 and Sch. 3; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 1,025 64 914 58 
			   
			 Steering defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.29; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 82 3 41 4 
			   
			 Tyres defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.2527; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 7,607 709 5,721 530 
		
	
	
		
			   England and Wales 
			   2001 2002 2003 
			 Offence description Principal statute Male Female Male Female Male Female 
		
		
			 Leaving vehicle in a dangerous position Road Traffic Act s.22 90 23 67 11 65 16 
			 
			 Causing danger by causing anything to be on a road, interfering with a vehicle or traffic equipment Road Traffic Act s.22A as added by Road Traffic Act 1991 s.6 87 6 91 4 88 5 
			 
			 Offences in relation to dogs under the Act Road Traffic Act s.27 21 26 14 15 10 8 
			 Reckless and dangerous driving by pedal cyclist Road Traffic Act s.28 19  18  17 1 
			 
			 Careless driving by pedal cyclist Road Traffic Act s.29 59 1 50 4 53 6 
			 
			 Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs Road Traffic Act s.30 37 1 37 1 41 2 
			 
			 Brakes defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.16 and 18 and Sch. 3; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 651 35 545 29 422 21 
			 
			 Steering defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs. 1986 Regs.29; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 47 1 48 1 26 1 
			 
			 Tyres defective Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regs 1986 Regs.2527; Road Traffic Act 1988 s.41A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s.8 4,363 417 3,790 394 3,525 318 
		
	
	(11) These data are on the principal offence basis

Substance Abuse Offences

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted for (a) drunkenness, (b) driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs and (c) causing death by dangerous driving when under the influence of drink or drugs in each year since 1997 in (i) England, (ii) each region and (iii) each London borough.

Hazel Blears: Tables one-four show the number of convictions for (a) drunkenness, (b) driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs and (c) causing death by dangerous driving when under the influence of drink or drugs in each year since 1997 in (i) England, (ii) each region and (iii) each London borough. Conviction figures for 2004 will be available at the end of November.
	
		Number of offenders found guilty for drunkenness by London borough, region and England 19972003(12)
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Inner London magistrates courts
			 City of London police
			 Guildhall Justice Rooms 1  1 5
			 
			 Metropolitan police
			 Bow Street 15 15 21 8 69 24 10 
			 Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge 14 14 1 5 3 3 1 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich 3 12 8 7 6 20 28 
			 Highbury Corner 14 18 25 2 1 4 10 
			 Horseferry Road 39 28 26 14 79 35 14 
			 Marylebone 9 7 12 1
			 South Western 7 8 7 1  2 1 
			 Thames 4 1 7 1 1 7 2 
			 West London 187 120 66 66 29 45 38 
			 Inner London juvenile courts
			 
			 Outer London boroughs
			 Metropolitan police
			 Barking and Dagenham 3 2 2 
			 Barnet 1 5 1 4 9 12 4 
			 Bexley 2   2 2  5 
			 Brent 36 45 37 19 3 10 12 
			 Bromley 2 1 4  8 4 1 
			 Croydon 7 33 14 7 11 10 o 
			 Eating 7 14 3 4 5 5 7 
			 Enfield 4  2 1 1 1 2 
			 Haringey  7 6 6 9 7 19 
			 Harrow 1 4 7 2 5 1 6 
			 Havering 5 10 1 
			 Hillingdon 7 19 1 8 7 8 2 
			 Hounslow 5 19 16 13 9 4 11 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 3 6 3 1 1 1  
			 Merton 4 3 17 2 4 2 12 
			 Newham 3 8 5 8 11 2 4 
			 Redbridge  1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Richmond upon Thames 8 13 8 5 6 1 4 
			 Sutton 2  2 1 5 7 10 
			 Waltham Forest 3 2 4 1 1   
			 
			 Total Metropolitan police 387 403 304 190 294 228 210 
			 Total Greater London 388 403 305 195 294 228 210 
			 
			 Regions
			 North East 135 118 107 67 122 106 88 
			 North West 387 393 314 344 264 262 149 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 191 232 214 262 221 202 222 
			 East Midands 108 135 116 119 89 107 78 
			 West Midlands 240 208 162 67 92 109 123 
			 East of England 496 583 507 399 332 264 293 
			 London(13) 393 405 310 197 296 228 210 
			 South East 938 1,106 866 684 629 541 486 
			 South West 445 530 538 440 379 382 350 
			 Wales 209 388 377 390 317 309 300 
			 England 3,333 3,710 3,134 2,579 2,424 2,201 1,999 
			 England and Wales 3,542 4,098 3,511 2,969 2,741 2,510 2,299 
		
	
	(12) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(13) Includes a small number of defendants convicted in courts outside London.
	Source:
	RDSOffice for criminal justice reform

Youth Crime (Kent)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people have been(a) found guilty of a crime and (b) placed in custody in Kent in the last five years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The available information from the Home Office Court Proceedings database is contained in the table and gives the number of young people aged 10 to 17, found guilty of committing a crime and given a custodial sentence at all courts in Kent police force area, 19992003. Statistics for 2004 will be available late November.
	
		Number of young people, 1017 years, found guilty of all offences at all courts and sentenced to custody in the Kent police force area, 19992003 (14)
		
			  Found guilty Sentenced to immediate custody 
		
		
			 1999 2,465 158 
			 2000 2,298 156 
			 2001 2,392 217 
			 2002 2,321 159 
			 2003 2,784 144 
		
	
	(14) These data are on the principal offence basis

PRIME MINISTER

Iran

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the US and the E-3 regarding Iran's response to the E-3 request for objective guarantees that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes

Tony Blair: Ministers and officials are in frequent contact with their French, German and US counterparts about Iran's nuclear programme. We share deep concern at Iran's decision to resume uranium conversion activities, contrary to successive International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board resolutions and in violation of the framework agreed by Iran for negotiations on long-term arrangements. The E3/EU have urged Iran to honour its obligations and comply fully with the requests of the IAEA Board of Governors. I hope Iran will reinstate its suspension of fuel cycle activities and return to talks with the E3/EU on the basis of the Paris Agreement

NORTHERN IRELAND

Police/Security Forces (Targeting)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) members of the (i) Police Service of Northern Ireland and (ii) Royal Irish Regiment and (b) prison officers have moved from their homes because of targeting by republicans over the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: There have been no Royal Irish Regiment house moves on security grounds in the last 12 months.
	Fourteen police officers were forced to move from their homes due to threats attributed to republicans in the period from 1 October 2004 until 30 September 2005.
	Over the last 12 months two prison officers have moved from their home as a result of dissident republican threat.

Tourism

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the impact of tourism on the Northern Ireland economy; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Tourism is making an increasingly important contribution to the Northern Ireland economy, with over two million visitors a year. There are now more visitors than there are residents.

Sporting Competitions (Eligibility)

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether every child in Northern Ireland is eligible to represent the UK in international sporting competition.

David Hanson: International sporting competitions are organised by sports governing bodies and eligibility requirements are determined by them. Children in Northern Ireland are eligible to represent the UK in international sporting competition provided they satisfy the respective sports governing bodies' eligibility requirements.

Security

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain: The security situation is improving. The latest Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) report stated that the initial signs following the provisional IRA statement were encouraging. However, paramilitaries, especially loyalists and dissident republicans, continue to exert a malign influence over communities.
	I published an updated normalisation programme on 1 August. This will be taken forward, provided the enabling environment is maintained.

Peace Process

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent developments in the peace process.

Peter Hain: There have been major, positive developments in the process over the summer. The IRA's 28 July statement ordered an end to the armed campaign and instructed the development of purely political and democratic programmes. In my 28 July letter to all MPs, I welcomed the statement for its clarity and lack of conditionality.
	On 26 September, the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning reported that the Commission had determined that the IRA has met its commitment to put all its arms beyond use in a manner called for by the legislation.
	I laid in Parliament the 7th report of the Independent Monitoring Commission on 19 October. That report concludes that the PIRA statement, despite coming at a point when five sixths of the period under review had elapsed, is very significant. The statement and the act of decommissioning reported by the IICD on 26 September have created a platform for future progress and 'initial signs following the PIRA statement are encouraging'. However, It is essential that the IMC, as they state, are able to observe 'cumulative changes in behaviour over a more sustained period of time ... '.
	I await the next report of the Commission, due in January 2006.

Parades Commission

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the reconstituted Parades Commission.

Shaun Woodward: The Government are committed to ensuring, so far as is practicable, that the Parades Commission is representative of the people of Northern Ireland. The current appointments expire on 31 December. A reappointments process began on 25 July and is on schedule.
	The process has been run in close co-operation with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). An OCPA independent assessor is one of three panel members sifting and interviewing applicants for both chair and membership.

Devolved Government

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on devolved government in the Province.

David Hanson: A return to fully inclusive power-sharing devolved government in Northern Ireland remains the aim. It is essential that we see an end to paramilitary activity and criminality for there to be sufficient trust and confidence among the parties for this to be achieved.
	There have been major developments over the summer that open the prospect that devolved government can be re-established. The IRA's 28 July statement calling an end to the armed campaign, the independently verified decommissioning of all IRA weapons, and the encouraging signs on paramilitary activity and criminality identified in the IMC's 7th report are all to be welcomed.

Paramilitary Organisations

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of how many (a) punishment beatings, (b) expulsions and (c) other criminal activities have beencommitted by republican paramilitary organisations since 4 pm on 28 July; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: PSNI statistics for the period in question confirm that two assaults have been attributed to republican paramilitaries during this period.
	Expulsions are not recorded statistically by PSNI.
	The Government's position is clear on criminality: In order to create the conditions for political progress to continue to flourish, there must be an end to criminality and paramilitary activity.
	The Secretary of State has demanded that the IRA sever its links to gangsterism and that, just as it has turned its back on paramilitary activity, it must do so on criminality.

1911 Census

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons the findings of the 1911 Census cannot be released for public use.

Angela Smith: The Census in 1911 was conducted on an all-Ireland basis. The records are available for public inspection in the National Archives of Ireland. This office is planning to digitise the 1911 forms for the whole of Ireland and to make them available on-line. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is considering obtaining and making publicly available microfilms of the 1911 forms.

Avian Influenza

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who will receive priority access to vaccination against avian influenza if an outbreak of the disease occurs in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: In the event of an outbreak of avian influenza here, priority access to vaccination where available, will be given to poultry workers on premises where disease is suspected or confirmed, as well as Department of Agriculture and Rural Development staff and contractors potentially exposed to the disease.
	This same priority of access would also apply to the provision of antivirals, drawn from DHSSPS stock for pandemic flu, and where appropriate seasonal flu vaccinations.

Avian Influenza

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to prevent the spread of avian influenza to Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development keeps the threat posed by the spread of Avian Influenza (AI) under constant review and initiates protective measures deemed necessary to prevent its introduction as appropriate.
	In line with European Union-wide measures, actions taken to date have included banning the importation of live birds and products from Avian Influenza affected areas. Other Decisions of the European Union (EU) Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health aimed at taking further preventative measures to limit the potential spread of the disease will be acted upon as required.
	The Department has recently re-issued advice to the poultry industry regarding biosecurity measures to be observed to limit the risk of disease entering Northern Ireland and stopping its spread should it be introduced. The Department also provides information and guidance through its website to stakeholders and is engaged in a series of discussions with key industry representative bodies on an on-going basis to ensure that there is a regular exchange on the developing situation.
	For the third successive year, an AI survey is being carried out this autumn on certain types of poultry. Wild bird surveillance is also being undertaken, with the support of the Environment and Heritage Service and other non-government organisations.
	There is close co-operation between relevant Departments to ensure a joined-up approach to the threat of AI including in respect of the implications for public health. Officials are also working closely with their counterparts from the Department of Agriculture and Food in the Republic of Ireland in relation to AI, which is of mutual interest in the context of the island of Ireland.
	The Department has a contingency plan in place, which has been approved by the EU, to ensure that any outbreak of AI is dealt with quickly and effectively. This plan is continually being reviewed and updated, and has been tested on two occasions in recent weeks.

Blood Transfusion Service

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost of the blood transfusion service in Northern Ireland has been in each of the last three years.

Shaun Woodward: The total cost of the blood transfusion service in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 200203 15,657,776 
			 200304 18,159,122 
			 200405 19,853,474 
		
	
	These figures represent the total revenue expenditure of the blood transfusion service in Northern Ireland for the last three years.

Briggs Rock Pumping Station

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he intends to take to address the failings of the Briggs Rock Pumping Station outside Groomsport, County Down.

Shaun Woodward: The chief executive of water service (Mrs Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the Hon. Lady in response to this question.
	Letter from Mrs Katherine Bryan to Lady Hermon dated October 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about what action he intends to take to address the failings of the Briggs Rock Pumping Station outside Groomsport, Co. Down (20643). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Water Service.
	Wastewater from Bangor receives mechanical screening before discharge to the Irish Sea via a marine outfall at Briggs Rock. The screening plant originally comprised two automatic rotating screens which removed most solids and materials from the sewage before discharge to sea. The screens became increasingly difficult to maintain and repair due to difficulties in sourcing replacement parts, and as a result became more expensive to operate. The condition of the screens continued to deteriorate and they were replaced by fabricated bar screens in late 2004. These screens had to be cleaned manually twice per day and were not as effective as the automatic rotating screens. This unfortunately led to some pollution on the adjourning coastline which Water Service cleaned up.
	Pending the construction of the new North Down/Ards Wastewater Treatment Works, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2007, Water Service replaced the manually raked screens with new automatic screens. As part of the upgrade, a new water main was laid to the Briggs Rock sea outfall to supply water to clean the new screening plant. During commissioning of the plant in late September 2005, Water Service became aware that this new water supply to the screening plant was causing water pressure problems in the Groomsport area. Water Service responded quickly with temporary measures to return the water pressure in the area to acceptable levels. These measures included reducing water usage at the screening plant to a minimum. However, this means that the new screens cannot operate effectively at all times and new instances of pollution may result under flood conditions. These will be cleared up by Water Service if they occur.
	Urgent investigations are underway to identify any water network improvements necessary to retain satisfactory water pressure to the local residents while at the same time enabling the screens to operate effectively. These investigations should be completed by the end of October and Water Service will take immediate action to undertake any remedial work identified.

Broadband Internet Access

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level of broadband internet access in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Currently a broadband service is available to 99.15 per cent. of the population. However, as a result of the DETI broadband services contract, by the end of 2005 BT must provide broadband services of at least 512kb to 100 per cent. of businesses and households until 2009.

Cardiology

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cardiac-related emergency cases have been treated in hospitals in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The number of emergency admissions 1 to the cardiac surgery and cardiology specialties, in hospitals in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, is detailed in the following table.
	1 Discharges and deaths are used as an approximation for admissions.
	
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 200001 14,608 
			 200102 14,120 
			 200203 12,969 
			 200304 13,708 
			 200405 13,701 
			 Source:  Hospital inpatients system

Child Care Costs

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce financial help towards child care costs for NHS funded students in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Significant additional resources would be required to provide financial help towards child care costs for HPSS funded students. Within the prioritisation of the limited resources available, my Department is not in a position to fund such an initiative at present.

Civil Partnership Document

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what the total cost of the publication Civil Partnership: What does it Mean for You was; and which organisations were consulted in relation to its content;
	(2)  what estimate has been made of the number of people in Northern Ireland who will take advantage of the new civil partner status;
	(3)  how many copies of the publication Civil Partnership: What does it Mean for You? were printed; and if he will make a statement on its circulation in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: No official estimate has been made of the number of people in Northern Ireland who will take advantage of the new status of civil partner. The regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the Civil Partnership Act 2004 attempted to estimate the proportion of the lesbian, gay and bisexual population in Great Britain who will be in a civil partnership in 2050. It proceeded on the assumption that 5 percent. of the adult population in Great Britain is lesbian, gay or bisexual. It then examined evidence of take up of comparable partnership schemes in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands and concluded that the take-up would be small, possibly in the region of 5 percent. to 10 percent. of the proportion of the heterosexual population who choose to marry. The legislation, however, has implications for same-sex couples who choose not to form a civil partnership but to live together as if they were civil partners.
	1000 copies of the guidance, Civil Partnership: What does it Mean for You, were printed at a cost of approximately 1,500. Copies have been circulated widely throughout Northern Ireland to political parties, Citizens Advice Bureaux, public libraries and other advice givers in the voluntary sector as well as groups representative of the lesbian and gay community in Northern Ireland. A draft of the guidance was considered by the coalition on sexual orientation, an umbrella group for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community in Northern Ireland. In addition, the guidance is available on the Office of law reform website at www.olrni.gov.uk

Civil Service

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors underlay the introduction of new pension arrangements for members of the Northern Ireland civil service from April 2006; and what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the new arrangements upon current members.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office issued a consultation document, proposals for changes to civil service pension arrangements on 9 December 2004.
	The consultation document detailed a number of proposed changes to the provision of pension arrangements for the Home civil service, the main aims were to:
	make pension provisions which reflect the changing culture in which the remuneration, including pensions, are expected to reflect performance;
	address changing employment patterns and provide pension arrangements which fit with emerging patterns of employment;
	take account of legislative and other changes which will become effective in the next few years, including tax simplification for pension provision, civil partnerships and anti-age legislation; and
	gives Members more flexibility in planning and preparing for retirement.
	In the Northern Ireland civil service, the principal civil service pension scheme (Northern Ireland) operates on a policy of parity with the Home civil service scheme, the principal civil service pension scheme, therefore it would be the normal approach of the Northern Ireland civil service to introduce the same pension provisions as apply to the Home civil service.
	No decision on new pension arrangements for members of the Northern Ireland civil service has yet been taken. Before a final decision is taken on reform of the pension scheme due consideration will be given to the affect on existing staff.

Co-ownership Scheme

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homes in the co-ownership scheme there are in each parliamentary constituency in the Province; how many more are planned for 200506; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Information on co-ownership activity is collected on a district council rather than a constituency basis.
	The following table indicates the number of participants currently in the scheme, by district council area, as at 30 September 2005.
	It is currently anticipated that 650 participants will be assisted during the financial year 200506; however as the scheme is demand led it is not possible to determine the spread of these.
	The Northern Ireland Co-ownership Housing Association continues to target those areas where take up of the scheme is lowest.
	
		
			 Council area Co-ownership stock 
		
		
			 Antrim 108 
			 Ards 295 
			 Armagh 38 
			 Ballymena 93 
			 Ballymoney 60 
			 Banbridge 85 
			 Belfast 543 
			 Carrickfergus 169 
			 Castlereagh 132 
			 Coleraine 218 
			 Cookstown 53 
			 Craigavon 201 
			 Derry 183 
			 Down 143 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 23 
			 Fermanagh 44 
			 Larne 62 
			 Limavady 49 
			 Lisburn 352 
			 Magherafelt 60 
			 Moyle 14 
			 Newry and Mourne 91 
			 Newtownabbey 294 
			 North Down 475 
			 Omagh 44 
			 Strabane 38

Disability Living Allowance

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland how many people in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland are inreceipt of disability living allowance high rate casecomponent as well as the high rate mobility component.

David Hanson: Please note that in answering the question the word case was taken to mean care. The figures requested are shown in the following table and are the most recent information available taken at August 2005.
	
		
			 Parliamentary constituency Recipients 
		
		
			 Belfast East 1,050 
			 Belfast North 1,713 
			 Belfast South 1,010 
			 Belfast West 2,677 
			 East Antrim 918 
			 East Londonderry 1,030 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1,420 
			 Foyle 2,105 
			 Lagan Valley 1,198 
			 Mid Ulster 1,663 
			 Newry and Armagh 2,049 
			 North Antrim 1,194 
			 North Down 886 
			 South Antrim 1,166 
			 South Down 1,758 
			 Strangford 1,231 
			 Upper Bann 2,022 
			 West Tyrone 2,189 
			 Missing postcode(15) 265 
			 Total 27,544 
		
	
	(15) In producing this analysis, individual records were attributed to wards and parliamentary constituency on the basis of their postcode. Not all records can be correctly allocated to a ward using this method, and some cannot be allocated at all; this occurs when a postcode is recorded incorrectly or is missing.

Drugs/Alcohol

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons under the age of 18 years were admitted to Northern Ireland hospitals for drug-related problems in each of the last five years, broken down by Westminster constituency.

Shaun Woodward: It is not possible to identify the number of individuals admitted to Northern Ireland hospitals. The following table shows the number of admissions 1 to hospital in Northern Ireland, in each of the last five years, where the patient was under 18 years of age and the diagnosis code corresponded to a drug related illness. Figures are broken down by parliamentary constituency based on the patients area of residence.
	1 Discharges and Deaths are used as an approximation for admissions. It is possible that any individual could be admitted to hospital more than once in any year and will thus be counted more than once as an admission.
	
		
			 Parliamentary constituency 200405 200304 200203 200102 200001 
		
		
			 Unassigned (16) (16) (16) (16) 0 
			 Belfast East (16) (16) 15 (16) 10 
			 Belfast North (16) 23 20 18 19 
			 Belfast South 0 (16) 11 (16) (16) 
			 Belfast West 10 18 (16) (16) 13 
			 East Antrim (16) (16) (16) (16) 10 
			 East Londonderry (16) (16) (16) (16) 0 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone (16) (16) (16) (16) 17 
			 Foyle (16) (16) 0 (16) (16) 
			 Lagan Valley (16) (16) (16) (16) (16) 
			 Mid Ulster 12 (16) (16) 12 15 
			 Newry and Armagh (16) (16) 12 21 (16) 
			 North Antrim (16) (16) (16) (16) (16) 
			 North Down (16) (16) 13 11 13 
			 South Antrim (16) (16) (16) (16) 10 
			 South Down (16) 12 13 13 18 
			 Strangford (16) (16) 13 (16) 16 
			 Upper Bann (16) (16) 11 16 15 
			 West Tyrone (16) (16) (16) (16) (16) 
			 Total 104 147 155 152 188 
		
	
	(16) Denotes a figure between 1 and 9.
	Source:
	Hospital Inpatients System

Drugs/Alcohol

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons under the age of 18 years were admitted to Northern Ireland hospitals for alcohol-related problems in each of the last five years, broken down by Westminster constituency.

Shaun Woodward: It is not possible to identify the number of individuals admitted to Northern Ireland hospitals. The following table shows the number of admissions 1 to hospital in Northern Ireland, in each of the last five years, where the patient was under 18 years of age and the diagnosis code corresponded to an alcohol related illness. Figures are broken down by parliamentary constituency based on the patients' area of residence.
	
		
			  Admissions(17) 
			 Parliamentary constituency 200405 200304 200203 200102 200001 
		
		
			 Unassigned (18) (18) (18) (18) (18) 
			 Belfast East 10 11 15 12 11 
			 Belfast North 10 16 16 19 10 
			 Belfast South 11 9 15 17 13 
			 Belfast West 18 23 23 26 28 
			 East Antrim (18) (18) (18) 15 (18) 
			 East Londonderry (18) (18) (18) (18) 12 
			 Fermanagh And South Tyrone (18) (18) (18) (18) (18) 
			 Foyle 10 13 13 (18) (18) 
			 Lagan Valley (18) (18) (18) 10 (18) 
			 Mid Ulster 16 10 13 (18) (18) 
			 Newry and Armagh 11 17 12 12 11 
			 North Antrim (18) (18) (18) (18) (18) 
			 North Down (18) (18) 12 (18) 13 
			 South Antrim (18) (18) (18) (18) (18) 
			 South Down 12 15 11 10 18 
			 Strangford 14 (18) 15 (18) 12 
			 Upper Bann 13 (18) (18) 10 11 
			 West Tyrone 15 12 (18) 10 (18) 
			 Total 181 182 198 192 192 
		
	
	(17) Discharges and Deaths are used as an approximation for admissions. It is possible that any individual could be admitted to hospital more than once in any year and will thus be counted more than once as an admission.
	(18) Denotes a figure between 1 and 9.
	Source:
	Hospital Inpatients System.

Energy Efficiency

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to encourage progress in promoting household energy efficiency in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: There is sustained activity by the Department for Social Development, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, as the Home Energy Conservation Authority for Northern Ireland, and a number of other agencies towards improving domestic energy efficiency across all housing tenures in Northern Ireland. Steps include the warm homes scheme, private sector grants scheme, the Housing Executive's heating replacement and routine house improvement programmes and various energy efficiency initiatives promoted, funded or supported by NIE, the Energy Sayings Trust and others.
	The Department and the Housing Executive will continue to work with all relevant bodies to support a wide range of energy efficiency measures and to promote energy efficiency through the provision of energy advice.

Fire-related Deaths

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fire-related deaths there have been in each constituency in the Province in the last three years.

Shaun Woodward: The number of accidental fire deaths in each of the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  1 April to 31 March 
			 Constituency 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Belfast East  1  
			 Belfast North 1 1  
			 Belfast South
			 Belfast West 1  1 
			 East Antrim 1  1 
			 East Londonderry 1 1  
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone  1  
			 Foyle 1  2 
			 Lagan Valley   1 
			 Mid Ulster 1 1 1 
			 Newry and Armagh  2  
			 North Antrim 1   
			 North Down 2  2 
			 South Antrim 1 1  
			 South Down
			 Strangford  2  
			 Upper Bann
			 West Tyrone
			 Total fatalities 10 10 8

General Practitioners

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many general practitioners there are in each of the parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland; and what is the average number of patients listed in each practice.

Shaun Woodward: Information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency Number of GPs(19) Average practice list size2, 3 
		
		
			 Belfast East 65 3,957 
			 Belfast North 88 4,563 
			 Belfast South 65 5,516 
			 Belfast West 54 4,952 
			 East Antrim 42 5,939 
			 East Londonderry 56 5,426 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 71 3,664 
			 Foyle 75 6,969 
			 Lagan Valley 57 6,255 
			 Mid Ulster 43 4,726 
			 Newry and Armagh 70 4,884 
			 North Antrim 74 4,174 
			 North Down 44 6,500 
			 South Antrim 52 5,590 
			 South Down 56 4,016 
			 Strangford 53 4,165 
			 Upper Bann 67 5,165 
			 West Tyrone 53 5,859 
		
	
	(19) Figures are derived from the medlist database maintained by the central services agency, which holds data on the headcount number of individual general practitioners in Northern Ireland. The figures refer to unrestricted principals at 3 October 2005.
	(20) Figures are derived from the national health applications and infrastructure services system which holds data on each individual patient registered with a GP in Northern Ireland. Figures refer to 3 October 2005.
	(21) Figures are based on the location of each general practice in Northern Ireland.

Hochteif PPP

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes have been made in the Hochteif bid for the Bangor Academy and Comber High School private public partnership project since it was first submitted.

Angela Smith: I understand from the Chief Executive of the South Eastern Education and Library Board that as negotiations in relation to this are still on-going this information is commercial in confidence.

Housing Executive Dwellings

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Northern Ireland Housing Executive dwellings are deemed unfit for occupancy, broken down by housing district; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The information is not available in the format requested. The rate of unfitness for all housing tenures at the Northern Ireland level was 4.9 percent. in 2001 and 3.8 percent. in 2004. The rate of unfitness in the Housing Executive and housing association sectors is around one per cent. Whilst it is not possible to provide a robust and precise figure below the Northern Ireland level because of the sample size, it is unlikely that there is any significant variation across Housing Executive districts.
	With the majority of stock built since 1970, and the relatively high level of resources committed to the maintenance and improvement of social housing, levels of unfitness in both the Housing Executive and housing association sectors has remained minimal. Across all tenures, the unfitness rate remains much higher in isolated rural areas and some inner city areas of Belfast and grant aid and urban renewal will continue to play important roles in reducing unfitness.

Housing Executive Dwellings

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Northern Ireland Housing Executive dwellings have been sold to tenants since the scheme was first introduced to Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Since sales began in late 1970's some 114,044 dwellings (to the end of September 2005) have been sold to tenants by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive under its house sales scheme.

Inpatients

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes there have been since 2001 in the number of patients waiting more than (a) six months, (b) 12 months and (c) 18 months for inpatient admission.

Shaun Woodward: The number of patients waiting (a) six months and over, (b) 12 months and over, and (c) 18 months and over for inpatient admission, including both day cases and ordinary admissions, since June 2001 is shown in the following table.
	
		Number of patients waiting for inpatient admission
		
			  (a) Six months and over (b) 12 months and over (c) 18 months and over 
		
		
			 30 June 2001 23,237 12,227 6,877 
			 30 June 2002 27,355 15,074 8,864 
			 30 June 2003 21,744 11,543 6,655 
			 30 June 2004 16,733 6,858 3,230 
			 30 June 2005 12,677 3,969 878 
		
	
	I have set a target to have no patient waiting longer than 12 months for inpatient or day case treatment by 31 March 2006.

Lifeguard Services

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance he has issued to local councils on provision of lifeguard services on beaches, with particular reference to blue-flag beaches.

Angela Smith: The Blue Flag campaign in Northern Ireland is operated by the charity, Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS). Any council participating in this campaign would have to adhere to the guidance issued by that organisation, which is based on the EC Bathing Water Directive.

MRI Scans

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the percentage use of the private sector in the provision of MRI scans in the NHS within Northern Ireland was in the last period for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will commission research into myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Shaun Woodward: Myalgic encephalomyelitis is a very complex disorder which produces a broad range of symptoms and disabilities and has various suggested causes and treatments. As such research into diseases like myalgic encephalomyelitis needs to be undertaken in specialised centres of excellence and coordinated at the national level.
	The R and D strategy for the health and personal social services, in common with other NHS R and D strategies, does not generally allocate funds for this type of research, however funding for research into myalgic encephalomyelitis has been made available from sources such as the Medical Research Council.

Negligence Claims

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the costs over the next 12 months which might result from clinical negligence in the Province.

Shaun Woodward: The cost to the Health and Personal Social Services budget is the net impact of the provision being established for new cases reduced by the settlement of existing cases. This is estimated at 11 million in 200506.

Northern Ireland Events Company

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the members of the board of the Northern Ireland Events Company were chosen; what their attendance allowance is; and how much funding was given by central Government to the company in each year since its formation.

David Hanson: The Northern Ireland Events Company's 12 current board members were appointed in 2002. Of these, seven were appointed by open competition, three were co-opted on to the board and two were nominated by outside bodies (Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Sports Council for Northern Ireland). The board members were appointed for three years and this period has been extended by ministerial approval for one year (to June 2006), as allowed by the Code of Practice, issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.
	Northern Ireland Events Company board members do not receive an attendance allowance.
	The Northern Ireland Events Company has been given central Government funding since its formation as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Amount of central Government funding () 
		
		
			 199798 10,000 
			 199899 749,100 
			 19992000 1,143,000 
			 200001 1,100,000 
			 200102 1,600,000 
			 200203 2,100,000 
			 200304 2,458,000 
			 200405 1,890,000 
			 200506 2,200,000

Nursery Education

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children attended nursery units attached to (a) state controlled, (b) Catholic maintained and (c) integrated primary schools in each of the past 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Pupils in nursery units attached to primary schools(22) inNorthern Ireland
		
			  Controlled schools Catholic maintained schools Integrated schools 
		
		
			 1995/96 2,288 556 46 
			 1996/97 2,328 653 20 
			 1997/98 2,220 763 0 
			 1998/99 2,330 994 0 
			 1999/2000 2,704 1,291 26 
			 2000/01 3,313 2,368 259 
			 2001/02 3,671 2,985 330 
			 2002/03 4,004 3,385 365 
			 2003/04 3,970 3,331 377 
			 2004/05 4,095 3,316 388 
		
	
	(22) Pupils in nursery units attached to 'other maintained' primary schools, have not been included.

Nursery Education

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much investment has been allocated by the Department of Education to nursery units attached to (a) state controlled, (b) Catholic maintained and (c) integrated primary schools in Northern Ireland in each of the past 10 years.

Angela Smith: Under the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme Capital Scheme the amount of funding allocated to nursery units attached to statutory primary schools was as follows:
	
		000
		
			 Financial year Controlled Catholic maintained Integrated primary 
		
		
			 199899 64 0 0 
			 19992000 167 510 32 
			 200001 1,195 1,935 328 
			 200102 1,366 1,697 206 
			 200203 1,210 1,564 162 
			 200304 786 1,071 0 
			 200405 220 200 0 
		
	
	The above information does not take account of investment in nursery units where these formed an integral part of a major capital work for a primary school. It is not possible to identify separately the level of such investment for the nursery element. Capital investment in nurseries prior to 1998 was not identified separately from investment in primary schools and, therefore, the information is not available for earlier years.

Organ Donation

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to increase public awareness of organ donor programmes.

Shaun Woodward: Responsibility for the organ donor register and raising public awareness of organ donor programmes rests with NHS blood and transplant (formerly UK Transplant). They organise national publicity campaigns, which are also run in Northern Ireland. These are supplemented at local and regional level by publicity organised through the Department of Health, social services and public safety and the transplant co-ordinators based in Belfast City hospital.
	Following on from the Life's Amazing, Pass It On campaign in 2004 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the organ donor register, 510 local pharmacies have agreed to display copies of a Signed Up Yet? leaflet in a joint initiative between Northern Ireland's pharmaceutical contractors' committee and NHS blood and transplant. A major publicity campaign is also being organised for December 2005 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the world's first successful cornea transplant.
	The success in raising public awareness locally is demonstrated by the increase in the percentage of the Northern Ireland population who are now members of the organ donor register: 17.7 percent. as compared to 9 percent. in 2003.

Oversea Students

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many overseas students studied at Northern Ireland's universities in each of the past five years.

Angela Smith: The number of enrolments at NI Higher Education Institutions by students whose domicile was recorded as a country outside the UK or Republic of Ireland for the past five years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Domicile 
			 Academic year EU (excluding UK and RoI) Other overseas Total 
		
		
			 1999/2000 659 887 1,546 
			 2000/01 363 1,261 1,624 
			 2001/02 311 1,358 1,669 
			 2002/03 397 1,476 1,873 
			 2003/04 381 1,553 1,934 
		
	
	Source:
	HESA

Patient Choice

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on Government policies to increase choice for NHS patients in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: On 4 July I announced a major programme of reform to address Northern Ireland's unacceptable waiting times. As part of this announcement, I indicated my intention to make greater use of the independent sector. Experience locally and in the rest of the United Kingdom has shown that independent sector providers can offer additional choice to patients as well as providing an opportunity to showcase new and innovative ways of working.
	Later this year, the Department will also announce more detailed plans to reform the delivery of outpatient services.
	The Department is also working to promote choice and independence in social care. The extension of the direct payments scheme will provide service users and carers with opportunities to choose both the services they need and how they access them.

Romania (Adoptions)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many adoptions from Romania home study assessments have been carried out in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: All adoptions from Romania in the last 10 years have had a home study assessment carried out. The number of adoptions in each year is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of adoptions 
		
		
			 1995 0 
			 1996 0 
			 1997 0 
			 1998 2 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 5 
			 2001 5 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 0

School Nurses/Dentists

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure that every child in Northern Ireland has access to (a) school nurse and (b) community dentist.

Shaun Woodward: School nursing services are provided by all community health and social care trusts in Northern Ireland. The service is provided to all schools, except a very small number of voluntary and independent grammar schools, which fall outside the statutory requirement for service provision. In addition, a number of schools employ nurses as part of their team to provide first aid and support pupils.
	Every child in Northern Ireland has access to health service dentistry. The health service provides a full range of dental services through general dental practitioners working in the general dental service. The role of the community dental service is not to provide universal access to treatment but to facilitate patients who are otherwise unable to obtain treatment through the general dental service. It also carries out dental screening of schoolchildren, dental education and prevention programmes and monitoring and planning of local dental services.

Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the South Eastern Education and Library Board has for the merging of Dundonald High School and Knockbreda High School.

Angela Smith: I have been advised that the South-Eastern Education and Library Board has currently no plans to amalgamate Dundonald High and Knockbreda High Schools.

Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils attended (a) state controlled, (b) Catholic maintained and (c) integrated secondary schools in Northern Ireland in each of the past 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Pupils in secondary schools(23) in Northern Ireland
		
			  Controlled schools Catholic maintained schools Integrated schools(24) 
		
		
			 1995/96 40,925 46,718 2,783 
			 1996/97 40,492 46,521 3,554 
			 1997/98 40,154 46,165 4,308 
			 1998/99 38,871 45,936 6,677 
			 1999/2000 38,961 45,643 7,691 
			 2000/01 38,577 45,382 8,688 
			 2001/02 38,163 45,008 9,247 
			 2002/03 37,710 44,811 9,760 
			 2003/04 37,289 44,275 10,077 
			 2004/05 36,398 42,946 10,299 
		
	
	(23) Data for pupils at 'other maintained' secondary schools and at grammar schools have been excluded.
	(24) Includes both controlled integrated schools and grant maintained integrated schools.

Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much investment has been allocated by the Department of Education to (a) state controlled, (b) Catholic maintained and (c) integrated primary schools in Northern Ireland in each of the past 10 years.

Angela Smith: The following table sets out the capital investment for major works allocated by the Department of Education for primary schools in the state controlled, Catholic maintained and integrated sectors, for each of the 10 financial years from 199596 to 200405. The investment figures take account of nursery units where these were an integral part of the major capital work for the primary school. It is not possible to provide separate figures for the primary school element.
	
		
			  Number of controlled primary schools Total capital investment in controlled primary schools ( million) Number of Catholic maintained primary schools Total capital investment in Catholic maintained primary schools ( million) Number of integrated primary schools Total capital investment in integrated primary schools ( million) 
		
		
			 199596 5 8.0 4 8.3 1 2.8 
			 199697 3 6.1 3 5.1   
			 199798 4 4.9 2 4.9 2 3.6 
			 199899 2 3.8 2 3.1   
			 19992000 3 4.8 4 9.1 1 0.3 
			 200001 5 10.2 5 15.6 1 1.4 
			 200102 9 16.3 6 19.9   
			 200203 7 16.2 5 10.0 2 3.6 
			 200304 13 40.0 4 9.6 3 6.3 
			 200405 13 35.2 15 38.4 2 5.3 
			 Total 64 145.5 50 124 12 23.3

Smoking Ban

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Department for Health on the decision to ban smoking in enclosed work places in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: No formal ministerial discussions have taken place with the Department of Health about the decision to introduce comprehensive controls on where people smoke in enclosed public places and work places in Northern Ireland by April 2007, however there were informal ministerial discussions prior to my announcement of smoking controls for Northern Ireland. Officials from UK Health Departments meet regularly to discuss areas of mutual interest in the field of tobacco control policy.

Sustainable Development

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what steps have been taken by his Department to review its arrangements for public reporting of its sustainable development impacts;
	(2)  what arrangements his Department has to reportpublicly on its key sustainable development impacts.

Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment (DOE) is taking the lead in developing the Sustainable Development Strategy for Northern Ireland which is programmed to launch on 13 December 2005.
	Incorporated within the strategy will be a set of commitments specific to Northern Ireland which will address some of the key social, economic and environmental issues.
	The strategy will be followed by a series of implementation plans which will use lower level objectives, targets and indicators to help translate the strategy into action on the ground and which will permit progress to be measured.
	The specific arrangements for publishing progress against the indicators will be addressed within the strategy document which is currently being developed.
	Data from Northern Ireland will also contribute to the UK headline indicators of sustainable development as part of our commitment to the overarching UK Framework for sustainable development One futuredifferent paths' launched in March 2005.

Ulster Historical Foundation

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide the Ulster Historical Foundation (UHF) with the funding required to make UHF research papers accessible to the public.

David Hanson: The UHF are in the process of establishing whether there would be sufficient demand for access to their research papers to justify expenditure in this area and are planning to bid for lottery funding should the demand exist.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Finance

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if he could list his Department's bilateral aid by sector to (a) sexual and reproductive health/population and to (b) HIV under the headings (i) project, (ii) programme, (iii) technical, (iv) grants, (v) humanitarian aid and (vi) CDC investments for 200405;
	(2)  what aid his Department has provided for reproductive health programmes in each of the last five years;
	(3)  if he will list his Department's bilateral aid to family planning programmes in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: The data on HIV and reproductive health spending in 200405 is not yet available. Expenditure figures are being collated and we expect to be able to publish them shortly. We also want to make sure that these figures will be consistent, for the purpose of making accurate comparisons, with previous years spending. We will therefore report on the whole time series, including spending in previous years, when we finalise the 200405 figures. I will write to the hon. Member for Calder Valley when the spending analysis is complete.

Departmental Finance

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's total expenditure was in 200405 to (a) UNFPA, (b) WHO, (c) UNICEF, (d) UNAIDS, (e) International Planned Parenthood Federation, (f) Marie Stopes International and (g) Interact Worldwide; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's total expenditure in 200405 for the international Planned Parenthood Federation was 6,000,000, for the Marie Stopes International, 1,698,000 and for Interact Worldwide 474,000.
	With regards to total expenditure for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), our statistical system does not disaggregate payments made to individual agencies at the country level. Contributions made centrally through DFID's multilateral programme to these agencies in 200405 were: to the UNFPA 20,038,000, the WHO 27,649,000, UNICEF 19,771,000 and UNAIDS 8,069,000.
	As part of an exercise looking at funding across the United Nations during the calendar year of 2004, the agencies were asked to confirm total DFID contributions, including those made through our bilateral programme at country level. These were for the UNFPA 22,700,000, for the WHO 54,725,725, for UNICEF 102,152,173 and for UNAIDS 9,410,194.

Departmental Finance

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's contribution to the Human Reproduction Programme in the World Health Organisation was in (a) 200001, (b) 200102, (c) 200203, (d) 200304 and (e) 200405; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Since 200304, we have provided support to the Human Reproduction Programme (HRP) through and as part of our overall core contribution to the World Health Organisation (WHO), leaving it to the WHO to determine the allocation of resources for its various areas of work, including HRP. For 200001, we provided 750,000 to HRP; for 200102, 576,000; and for 200203, 250,000. We are currently reviewing the arrangements for our support to HRP.

Departmental Finance

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department allocated to sexual and reproductive health non-governmental organisations in 200405.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provided support to NGOs working in sexual and reproductive health in a number of ways in 200405. We provided central support to organisations such as the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF), to advocate for and provide sexual and reproductive health services (6 million) to the Population Council for work to promote adolescent sexual health (921,000) and to the International Projects Assistance Services (IPAS), for work to address unsafe abortion (722,000).
	Through our Civil Society Challenge Fund and country programmes, we also provided support to Interact Worldwide (474,000) and the Marie Stopes International (MSI) (1.69 million) to extend service provision and also to Population Services International (11.9 million) to expand social marketing. We also provided support for a range of other reproductive health NGOs including the Alan Guttmacher Institute, Engender Health, Global Campaign for Microbicides/PATH, Family Care International and Reproductive Health Matters.

G8 Action Plan for Africa

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the timetable is for drafting the G8 Action Plan for Africa; and what role his Department has in the process.

Hilary Benn: The G8 published a joint progress report in July on the G8 Action Plan for Africa agreed at the Kananaskis Summit in 2002. At the time, DFID published a report specifically on the UK's progress. At Gleneagles, G8 and African Leaders agreed that there should be a Joint Action Plan, covering commitments by Africa and all its development partners (not just the G8) and tasked the Africa Partnership Forum (APF) to monitor implementation.
	In London on 45 October, the APF agreed to establish a Joint Action Plan by its next meeting in April 2006. The draft Plan is being developed by a Task Team including APF co-chairs for 2005 and 2006: the UK, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Russia, Norway and the African Union/New Partnership for Africa's Development. The Department for International Development is participating in this process on behalf of the UK and in consultation with other relevant Government departments.

HIV/AIDS

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what monitoring has taken place of funds allocated for HIV/AIDS orphan and vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Gareth Thomas: Monitoring of progress on HIV/AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) spend in our 16 Public Service Agreement countries in Africa takes place through annual reviews of progress against DFID Country Assistance Plans and the Africa Directors Delivery Plan. Overall progress is reported in the annual Departmental Report. Progress is also tracked through bi-annual monitoring of the UK HIV/AIDS Strategy 'Taking Action' and ad hoc monitoring missions on OVC issues.

HIV/AIDS

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the organisations that have received funds to provide services for HIV/AIDS orphan and vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa in 200506.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provides most of its aid directly to the Governments of developing countries, either through non-earmarked Poverty Reduction Budgetary Support (PRBS) or earmarked sector support. Given that many other organisations in those countries will subsequently receive funds, it is not possible to provide a comprehensive list of those NGOs providing services to HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children.
	Under appropriate circumstances, DFID also funds NGOs directly. NGOs receiving such support include ActionAid, Terre des Hommes, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children UK, Christian Aid and CARE.
	To complement our country level support, DFID also channels funds through multilateral bodies such as UNICEF. In South Africa for example we are supporting UNICEF to implement South Africa's National Action Plan for children affected by AIDS.

Liberia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the UK Government's total financial contribution to the peace-keeping operation in Liberia has been.

Hilary Benn: The UK Government's total contribution to the Liberia peacekeeping operation (UNMIL) has been 68,854,123 to the end of September 2005. By financial year, the figures are as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 200304  
			 Assessed 16,629,154 
			 Non-assessed 15,061 
			 200405  
			 Assessed 35,000,083 
			 Non-assessed 497,828 
			 200506 (half year)  
			 Assessed 16,527,941 
			 Non-assessed 184,056 
		
	
	In addition to these FCO contributions, DFID's total support to Liberia since the signing of the Accra Peace Accord in 2003 has been 18.5 million. 3,967,000 was provided to the UN Trust Fund for disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation and re-integration, which forms a critical part of the peacekeeping operation. A further 1.4 million financed UNICEF for Education and Re-integration programmes for Children Associated with the Fighting Forces. In addition 900,000 supported the provision of humanitarian air services, support to the UN Joint Logistical Centre, emergency trucking and communication equipment. The remainder has supported voluntary relief agencies in meeting basic humanitarian needs. Additional assistance is being planned.

Millennium Development Goals

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on (a) global progress and (b) work being done by his Department towards reaching the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people with no access to clean water by 2015.

Gareth Thomas: From the latest figures made available by the Joint Monitoring Programme, implemented by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the world is on track to meet the drinking water target of halving, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe water. It should be added however that there are major regional differences in progress with sub-Saharan Africa being off track to achieve the water target by 2015.
	DFID's actions to meet the challenge of achieving the Millennium Development Goals for water supply, sanitation and water resource management are set out in the Water action Plan published in March 2004. With sub-Saharan Africa making insufficient progress towards achievement of the target for access to safe water, the Secretary of State for International Development announced on World Water Day, 22 March, a doubling of DFID's aid to Africa for water and an increase in the engagement of DFID's country offices with their partner country Governments on this issue. The Water Action Plan and updates on progress against the actions set out and on the commitments made on World Water Day are available on DFID's website www.dfid.gov.uk

Sierra Leone

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money is planned to be spent on public relations initiatives in the Department's technical assistance contract in Sierra Leone.

Hilary Benn: DFID does not have a specific technical assistance contract in Sierra Leone as such. Technical Assistance is an integral part of most of what DFID is doing in the country to strengthen the government's ability to deliver services to its citizens. As a result of the long years of war in the 1990s when many educated people fled the country, limited capacity is a major development constraint.
	There is a communications element of the planned project providing support to the Sierra Leone National Commission for Privatisation. The project design includes a provision of 50,000 (some 2.5 per cent. of the total project cost) for communications as one of the aims of the project is to provide good quality public information and increase the transparency and accountability of the reform process. DFID agrees with local NGOs that there is a real need for good quality public information in Sierra Leone. The public needs to be kept accurately informed and consulted at an early stage in looking at different options in the reform process.
	The project design also provides for a communications adviser to help develop an overall strategy. However, DFID has made it clear that we will not fund any campaign to promote privatisation.

Zimbabwe

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is his latest assessment of the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

Hilary Benn: Credible independent estimates suggest that between three and five million people will face serious food shortages over the coming months. This is mainly as a result of bad governance by the Government of Zimbabwe, combined with erratic rains and the impact of HIV/AIDS which are also affecting neighbouring countries. The World Food Programme, with support from DFID and other donors, is presently providing food aid for one million vulnerable Zimbabweans, mainly children. Operations will be scaled up as hunger becomes more widespread in the months before the next harvest.
	In addition, the Government of Zimbabwe's forced clearance of unauthorised dwellings earlier this year, Operation Murambatsvina (Clean Up), displaced or destroyed the livelihoods of 700,000 people, aggravating poverty and food shortages in both urban and rural areas. The Zimbabwe Government's own efforts to mitigate the suffering caused by their mass evictions have been limited, and in some instances, the Government has obstructed the wider humanitarian effort, for example by refusing to accept the provision of tents and other temporary shelters for those without shelter. Despite these difficulties, a range of UN and non-governmental agencies are operating relief programmes reaching 40,000 affected households, including those affected by HIV and AIDS, with supplies of food, blankets, medical care and other essential items.
	DFID has provided over 100 million in humanitarian support to Zimbabwe since the onset of the food crisis in September 2001. All funding is channelled through UN agencies and NGOs, who ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Big Lottery Fund

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the projects that have unsuccessfully applied for grants from the Big Lottery Fund in the past 12 months; and for what reasons each application was turned down.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is not readily available to me. It will require a degree of work to collate and I expect that the subsequent response is longer than Hansard would normally publish. I have therefore asked the chief executive of the Fund to write to the right hon. Member and I will place copies of his response in the Libraries of both Houses.

Child Obesity

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of five-year-olds she expects will be participating in two hours or more of sport or physical activity in school by (a) 2006 and (b) 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The results of the 200405 school sport survey confirmed that we are on track to deliver the Public Service Agreement Targetshared with the Department for Education and Skillsto increase the percentage of five to 16-year-olds in England who spend a minimum of two hours a week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006 and to 85 per cent. by 2008.
	The survey showed that overall, 69 per cent. of pupils in partnership schools were participating in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport in a typical weekan 11 per cent. increase from the 200304 survey.
	The results of the 200405 school sports surveythe largest survey of its kind in Europewere published on 2 September. A copy of the survey report The Results of the 200405 School Sport Survey has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Departmental Spending

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial support her Department has given to each of the (a) executive non-departmental public bodies, (b) advisory bodies and (c) public corporations for which her Department is responsible in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: Details of the financial support provided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to each of its executive non-departmental public bodies, advisory bodies and public corporations can be found in the Department's annual reports, specifically:
	Pages 195108 of the 1999 Annual Report (Cm 4213) published in March 1999;
	Pages 108110 of the 2002 Annual Report Review (Cm 5423) published in May 2002; and
	Pages 7173 of the 2004 Annual Report Review (Cm 6220) Published in April 2004.
	Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to her Department.

David Lammy: Recruitment is on a competency based assessment. All new recruits are subject to a eight months' probation period during which time their progress made in meeting the competence requirements of their grade is continuously assessed. Where any skill gaps are identified training will be provided.

Digital Television

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households do not have access to digital television in each London constituency; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: The vast majority of households in the UK can, with the appropriate equipment, receive digital television services via at least one of digital satellite, digital terrestrial, cable or DSL broadband.
	We do not have a breakdown of coverage by constituency but the Government are committed to ensuring that at digital switchover everyone in the UK who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form (BBC1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4/S4C and Five) can receive them on digital systems.

Libraries (Lancashire)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) books, (b) DVDs, (c) video cassettes, (d) computer games and (e) audio books have been available in library service stock in (a) Lancashire and (b) Ribble Valley in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: holding answer 25 October 2005
	The information is not held centrally. However, the table shows, respectively, the total bookstock and the total numbers of audio visual, electronic and other types of stock held by Lancashire libraries since 199798. The comparable figures for public libraries in the Ribble Valley constituency are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Bookstock Total audio, visual, electronic and other stock 
		
		
			 199798 3,104,255 (25); 
			 199899 2,561,136 (25); 
			 19992000 2,486,056 114,106 
			 200001 2,386,475 (25); 
			 200102 2,316,941 (25); 
			 200203 2,309,233 120,411 
			 200304 2,184,021 134,463 
		
	
	(25) No return received from Lancashire libraries.
	Source:
	Chartered Institute of Public Finance and AccountancyPublic library statistics (Actuals)

Libraries (Lancashire)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was collected in public library fines in (a) Lancashire and (b) Ribble Valley in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: holding answer 25 October 2005
	The public library statistics, published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy for the past five years shows the following amounts of overdue fines per 1,000 population collected by Lancashire libraries as in the following table. The corresponding resident population figures for the areas served by Lancashire libraries for those years are also shown. Comparable figures for the public libraries in the Ribble Valley constituency are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Overdue fines collected by Lancashire libraries per 1,000 population () Resident population 
		
		
			 19992000 234 1,137,100 
			 200001 227 1,140,700 
			 200102 234 1,135,000 
			 200203 243 1,140,500 
			 200304 248 1,147,000

Licensed Premises

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if she will put in place emergency measures to compensate licensed premises whose new licences have not been processed by 24 November; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the likely financial impact per month of a suspension in trading by those establishments who will not have an alcohol licence by 24 November in (a) England and (b) Wales; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: To qualify for the conversion of their existing alcohol licences, premises licensed under the existing licensing framework should have submitted applications between 7 February and 6 August 2005. The Licensing Act stipulates that, should any such applications not have been processed within two months, the appropriate licences are deemed to have been granted.
	The Act includes these safeguards to ensure that the issue of licences is not delayed due to the pressure of work on licensing authorities. All premises which have applied in time for the conversion of existing licences will have licences to trade after the Second Appointed Day. I have not, therefore, carried out any assessment of the possible economic effects of unprocessed applications. Nor do I consider that emergency compensation measures are necessary.

Licensed Premises

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department was notified by (a) the Magistrates' Association and (b) the Justices Clerks' Association of potential problems in magistrates' courts of dealing promptly with appeals in respect of the Licensing Act 2003; what steps have been taken to deal with such problems; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: My Department holds regular meetings with the Magistrates' Association and the Justices' Clerks' Society, the last being on 27 July 2005. Likely workloads arising from appeals against licensing authorities' decisions have been discussed at these meetings.
	I have a great deal of confidence in the ability of the Courts to deal adequately with the administrative workloads arising from any appeals. However, my Department is monitoring the position closely, in conjunction with the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Licensing Act

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in implementing the Licensing Act 2003; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: Good progress has been made in implementing the Licensing Act 2003. It has been estimated that close to 97 per cent. of expected applications for premises licences and club premises certificates have been submitted. The local authorities believe that the remaining 3 per cent. include a small number of businesses who have not yet applied and those premises who may not, in the event, want to obtain a licence (e.g. small guest houses). The Government are confident that the Act is now ready for final implementation on 24 November.

Licensing Act

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contribution her Department is making to the Government's measures totackle binge drinking; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: The Government believe that current fixed opening hours encourage patrons to binge drink and the Licensing Act 2003, which takes effect on 24 November, will enable a greater variety of premises to adopt flexible hours and so remove the need for some patrons to drink as much as possible before the pubs and bars close.
	The Act also provides the police with a raft of new powers for tackling disorderly and criminal behaviour on licensed premises and to apply for reviews of licences where drunkenness and disorderly behaviour are prevalent.
	The Licensing Act is part of a wider strategy on binge drinking, including the Violent Crime Reduction Bill and the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy.
	My Department will closely monitor and evaluate the impact of the Act on crime and disorder to ensure that the Act delivers on our promise to provide a more civilised late night society.

Music Lessons

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the provision of music lessons in maintained schools.

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The National Curriculum provides all children aged 514 with a statutory entitlement to music lessons, giving them the opportunity to sing, to play musical instruments, to hear live and recorded music from a range of traditions and styles, to compose and to perform. Music can then be taken as an option at GCSE.
	Ofsted reports, over several years, show an improvement in teaching and learning across all key stages.

Parliamentary Counsel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from her Department have (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.

David Lammy: The information requested is not collected.

Stolen Antiquities

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to prevent stolen antiquities being sold in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: My Department is currently undertaking a number of projects designed to help combat the illicit trade in stolen antiquities.
	We recently published guidelines for museums, libraries and archives on the acquisition of cultural property, to help them ensure that their acquisitions are both legal and ethical. We are also funding the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to produce a website offering advice to anyone wishing to purchase art and antiquities, to help them avoid purchasing illegally traded cultural property.

Television Licences

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many unpaid television licences there were in each year since 1997 in (a) Lancashire and (b) Ribble Valley.

James Purnell: holding answer 25 October 2005
	The BBC has responsibility for the administration of the television licensing system and TV Licensing carries out the day to day administration under contract to the Corporation. I have therefore asked the BBC's head of revenue management to consider the questions raised by the hon. Member and to write to him direct. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Television Licences

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in each constituency have been (a) prosecuted and (b) jailed for failure to pay the television licence fee in the last 12 months.

James Purnell: Information on prosecutions and imprisonment by parliamentary constituency is not held centrally. Television licence evasion is not punishable by imprisonment but only by a fine, although the courts have the power to imprison fine defaulters.
	The available data relates to all offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts of 1949 and 1967 in England and Wales, and to all offences under the 1949 Act in Scotland, most though not all of which involve television licence evasion. The number of people proceeded against for such offences in England, Scotland and Wales in 2003, the latest year for which information is available, was 96,872. The number of people imprisoned for default on fines imposed for such offences was 46 in 2004.

SCOTLAND

Correspondence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many letters to his Office from hon. Members in session (a) 200405 and (b) 200506 remain unanswered, broken down by those which are (i) one month old, (ii) two months old, (iii) three months old, (iv) four months old and (v) over six months old.

David Cairns: The numbers of letters to the Scotland Office from hon. Members that remain unanswered are as follows:
	
		
			  Number of unanswered letters 
		
		
			 200405:  
			 One month old 0 
			 Two months old 0 
			 Three months old 0 
			 Four months old 0 
			 Over six months old 1 
			   
			 200506:  
			 One month old 0 
			 Two months old 0 
			 Three months old 1 
			 Four months old 0 
			 Over six months old 0 
		
	
	The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, columns 13740WS.

Drugs Approval

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  how many drugs approved by the EU Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use await approval of the Scottish Medicines Consortium;
	(2)  how many cancer drugs approved by the EU Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use await approval of the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

David Cairns: Responsibility for the work of the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) lies with Scottish Ministers. I understand the SMC is currently working towards production of a definitive list of drugs cleared by the EU Committee but not yet through the consortium's approval process.

Drugs Approval

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he anticipates Herceptin will be available to patients in Scotland for the treatment of early stage breast cancer.

David Cairns: This is a devolved matter, however I understand that the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) expects to receive a submission from Roche, the manufacturer of Herceptin, once the licence has been approved. On receipt of a submission SMC will begin their assessment process. Normally this process would take 18 weeks.

Volunteering

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many volunteering positions his Department has offered in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office has not offered any volunteering positions in the last five years but the office participates in the pupil work placement schemes operated by the Scottish Executive.
	Through their parent Departmentsthe Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairsstaff in the Scotland Office may take one day's paid leave each year to undertake voluntary work.

HEALTH

Ambulance Service Medal

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to nominate ambulance personnel for the Queen's Ambulance Service Medal following the performance of the service during the London bombing on 7 July.

Jane Kennedy: The Government recognises the enormous contribution of our emergency services, including London Ambulance Service national health service Trust, on 7 July 2005 and is exploring a number of options for ensuring that this is properly recognised.

Asylum Seekers

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely effects on public health of asylum seekers being unable to access NHS services apart from accident and emergency.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 21 October 2005
	Primary care trusts have a duty to ensure that asylum seekers, as with all members of the public, can access national health service services. A person who has formally applied for asylum is entitled to NHS treatment, both primary and secondary care, without charge, for as long as their application, including appeals, is under consideration. This includes registering with a general practitioner and receiving treatment in a hospital.

Communicable Disease Control

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has (a) to amend the powers exercised as a last resort over people, premises and property in circumstances posing a risk to public health and (b) to change the reserve powers available to her in the event that an outbreak of communicable disease is being mishandled.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 20 October 2005
	The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 contains a range of powers in relation to the control of infectious disease. As to plans to review this legislation, I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 24 October 2005, Official Report, columns 18990W.
	Emergency powers under part two of the Civil Contingencies Act are designed to allow the Government to respond quickly and effectively to the most serious emergencies where existing powers prove to be insufficient. They are capable of being used in the event of a range of emergencies, including those involving threats to public health, but only where existing powers would be ineffective. Their use is a last resort optionother approaches, such as bringing forward new legislation in an accelerated timeframe, would be considered first.
	The Act allows the making of temporary legislationemergency regulationsin exceptional circumstances and only where the robust tests and safeguards in the Act are met. Such temporary legislation may amend existing powers or grant new ones where this is necessary and proportionate. In order to meet these tests any use of emergency powers must be tailored to the specific circumstances at hand. It is therefore not possible, and would be potentially misleading, to comment on any specific measures that could be taken using emergency powers in the event of a public health emergencyit would depend on the specific circumstances prevailing at the time.

Contaminated Surgical Instruments

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital acquired infections were caused by contaminated surgical instruments in the last period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 21 October 2005
	Information on the number of hospital acquired infections caused by contaminated surgical instruments is not available.

Down's Syndrome

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been undertaken into the effects of complementary therapies for people with Down's syndrome.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has not funded any such research.

Influenza Vaccinations

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the take-up rate for influenza vaccinations for each (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care trust in London was in each year since 200203.

Jane Kennedy: This information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Percentage of 'flu vaccine uptake in people aged 65 years and over by strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT)
		
			  200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 North East London SHA
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 66 71 72 
			 Havering PCT 71 73 73 
			 City and Hackney PCT 53 55 59 
			 Newham PCT 60 67 65 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 60 61 71 
			 Redbridge PCT  71 71 
			 Waltham Forest  71 72 
			 Mean SHA 62 67 69 
			 
			 North Central London SHA
			 Barnet PCT 62 66 66 
			 Enfield PCT 67 66 65 
			 Haringey PCT 61 72 70 
			 Camden PCT 59 58 64 
			 Islington PCT 56 60 62 
			 Mean SHA 61 64 65 
			 
			 South East London SHA
			 Bexley PCT 67 71 68 
			 Greenwich PCT 59 61 62 
			 Bromley PCT 68 69 70 
			 Lambeth PCT 49 53 59 
			 Southwark PCT 49 54 54 
			 Lewisham PCT 56 58 61 
			 Mean SHA 58 61 62 
			 
			 South West London SHA
			 Kingston PCT 67 70 72 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 67 69 73 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 70 70 71 
			 Wandsworth PCT 63 70 66 
			 Croydon PCT 65 66 68 
			 Mean SHA 66 69 70 
			 
			 North West London SHA
			 Ealing PCT 73 65 68 
			 Hounslow PCT 66 74 71 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 54 56 61 
			 Hillingdon PCT 60 66 70 
			 Brent PCT 61 69 71 
			 Harrow PCT 69 72 73 
			 Westminster PCT 51 55 62 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 61 64 72 
			 Mean SHA 62 65 69

London Ambulance Service

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role primary care trust patients' forums will undertake in the pan-London review of the performance of the London Ambulance Service.

Jane Kennedy: At the present time, the performance of the London Ambulance Service (LAS) will continue to be monitored by the LAS patients' forum. Primary care trust patients' forums will contribute to that review as they have been doing.

Lupus

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available for research into lupus from (a) the Medical Research Council and (b) the Department of Health's Research and Development Directorate in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The main part of the Department's expenditure on health research is allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS, including a significant number concerned with lupus, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is an independent body, funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology. The MRC's portfolio of research relating to the causes and treatment of inflammatory disease has included the following expenditure specifically on lupus:
	
		
			  Amount () 
		
		
			 200001 96,000 
			 200203 65,000 
			 200304 112,000

Market Research

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid to (a) opinion leader research and (b) all market research companies by her Department in each of the last eight years.

Jane Kennedy: A list of expenditure on market research in each of the last eight years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Medical Errors/Incidents

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical errors and (b) reportable incidents involving (i) drugs and (ii) equipment in NHShospitals in London there were in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: It is only possible to provide data on the number of reportable incidents involving drugs and equipment. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) operates national systems for the collection and monitoring information of adverse events related to drugs and devices. Both systems rely upon voluntary reporting of suspected adverse events by health professionals. Manufacturers with respect to devices and marketing authorisation holders with respect to drugs have statutory obligations to report suspected adverse events.
	Table one shows the total number of suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports received via the voluntary yellow card scheme from 1997 to 2005 by year from London hospitals.
	
		Table 1: Reports received via the yellow card scheme from London hospitals
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 690 
			 1998 837 
			 1999 891 
			 2000 941 
			 2001 860 
			 2002 789 
			 2003 791 
			 2004 866 
			 2005(26) 762 
		
	
	(26) Data up to 10 October 2005.
	The MHRA pharmacovigilance system does not differentiate between national health service and private hospitals. The number of reports received from London hospitals, therefore, includes day hospitals, private hospitals and hospitals that may now be closed. It is important to note that a report of an adverse drug reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the drug. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships, including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and the underlying disease.
	Table two shows the number of medical device related adverse incident reports submitted to the MHRA from the NHS in London on a voluntary basis between mid-1999 and 2005. Information obtainable from electronic records created prior to mid-1999 does not distinguish reports from the NHS in London.
	
		Table 2: Medical device related adverse incident reports submitted to the MHRA from the NHS in London
		
			  Number of reports received from London hospitals 
		
		
			 1999 226 
			 2000 426 
			 2001 422 
			 2002 483 
			 2003 459 
			 2004 355 
			 2005 (27)239 
		
	
	(27) Data up to 12 October 2005

Mental Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people the Government estimates will be placed under compulsory community-based treatment orders under the provisions in the draft Mental Health Bill (a) once the Mental Health Bill is passed and (b) (i) five, (ii) 15 and (iii) 20 years after the Bill is passed.

Rosie Winterton: The Government's modelling assumption is that around 10 per cent. of treatment orders will be community based in the early years of the new Mental Health Act. In preparing for the introduction of the new Act, the focus should be on ensuring the appropriate use of community-based treatment by professionals, rather than arbitrarily defining numbers of those who should be subject to it.

NHS Estates

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) of 5 October 2005, Official Report, columns 283536W, on NHS Estates, what the (a) terms of reference and (b) timetable are forthe wider review of regulation in health and social care.

Jane Kennedy: I gave details of the wider review of regulation on 19 October 2005, Official Report, columns. 5657WS. The review will be conducted by officials from the Department of Health, with external scrutiny and challenge provided by a regulation review panel, comprising Lord Currie of Marylebone (chair), Dr. Dieter Helm of New College Oxford, and Mr. Robert Chilton, acting chair of the National Consumers Council. I shall provide a further update in the new year.

NICE (Drug Approvals)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of time has been for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to approve a cancer drug.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) on 11 July 2005, Official Report, column 734W.

NICE (Drug Approvals)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the shortest time is that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has taken to approve a cancer drug having received formal approval from the European Medicines Evaluation Agency.

Jane Kennedy: The shortest time the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has taken to approve a cancer drug, having received formal approval from the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA), was 11 months for leukaemia (chronic myeloid)imatinib. Imatinib was licensed by the EMEA on 1 November 2001 and NICE guidance was published in October 2002. A copy of this guidance is available on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk

NICE (Drug Approvals)

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will refer to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence the use of Herceptin to treat breast cancer in patients already diagnosed with the disease and who are at high risk of recurrence.

Jane Kennedy: The Government have asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to conduct an appraisal of the clinical and cost effectiveness of Herceptin for the treatment of early stage breast cancer. Herceptin is not yet licensed for early stage breast cancer in England and NICE cannot complete its appraisal until the drug receives its license for this indication.

Patientline

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the services offered by Patientline to patients in NHS hospitals; what the cost of each service is, including the cost of making incoming calls to Patientline telephones; on which date Patientline first started supplying services to the NHS; which other suppliers of (a) televisions, (b) telephones and (c) other entertainment services have contracts to supply NHS trusts; and what assessment she has made of the degree of competition between suppliers in providing such services.

Jane Kennedy: The table shows Patientline's services for patients in national health service hospitals.
	
		
			 Service Cost 
		
		
			 At least 16 television channels and bedside telephone 3.50 per 24 hours 
			 Concession for the over 60's 1.70 per 24 hours 
			 Concession for long stay patients (over two weeks) 1.70 per 24 hours 
			 All TV channels for children (under 16) Free 
			 One hour breakfast TV Free 
			 Radio Free 
			 Hospital information channel Free 
			 Charge for the outgoing call from the patient's terminal 10 pence per minute (minimum 20 pence) 
			 Internet and e-mail Four pence per minute 
			 Video games 30 pence each 
		
	
	Incoming telephone call charges from United Kingdom landlines are 39 pence per minute off peak ratebetween 6 pm and 8 am Monday to Friday and all weekendand 49 pence per minute peak rateall other times. Patientline's calls to mobile phones and overseas calls vary in accordance with the network provider's terms and conditions.
	The first Patientline hospital became operational in 1995.
	There are three other suppliers of the television and telephone services. They are Premier Managed Payphones, Hospital Telephone Services (HTS) and the Wandsworth Group.
	It is the responsibility of the NHS trust to assess the suppliers in the market and choose the most appropriate one to meet their local circumstances and needs.
	The Office of Communications has opened an investigation into the provision of bedside communication and entertainment services recently installed in NHS hospitals under the Competition Act 1998. The Department is co-operating with this investigation.

Rapid Review Panel

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are in place to fast-track resubmissions of products to the Rapid Review Panel following their initial submission and rejection.

Jane Kennedy: No such procedures are in place as all applications are dealt with in order of receipt. The rapid review panel meets every three months and does not have a backlog of applications.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether regulatory impact assessment was carried out on the Wave 2 Supply Chain Excellence Programme.

Jane Kennedy: The supply chain excellence programme (SCEP) consists of four projects, one of which is national contracts procurements (NCP). This project is being conducted in two waves. All work carried out under the NCP project first has a full opportunity assessment and approval from the SCEP's departmental board. A regulatory impact assessment was not carried out for the whole of the second wave as it does not require any changes to existing Regulations and is consistent with the Department's objectives to improve efficiencies in the national health service supply chain.

South West London Orthopaedic Centre

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) support, (b) advice, (c) legal costs, (d) financial guarantees, (e) management time and (f) cover for additional costs are to be provided by her Department for the transfer of the South West London Orthopaedic Centre in Epsom to the private sector.

Jane Kennedy: South West London Strategic Health Authority has requested the Department's support for the procurement of South West London Orthopaedic Centre and options are currently being reviewed.

Stroke

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding her Department provides for the Stroke Association.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 October 2005
	The Department provides funding for the Stroke Association to conduct specific projects. They are currently receiving funding for a four year project, entitled, Stroke Prevention among South Asians. They will receive a total of 50,500 in four annual payments.

Tarceva

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons Tarceva recently prescribed through an extended access programme is not available on the NHS; and when it will be available for patients on the NHS.

Jane Kennedy: The drug Tarceva (erlotinib) can be prescribed on the national health service.

Watermark Project

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department plans to rejoin the Watermark project.

Jane Kennedy: The Watermark project concluded in April 2003. The Department is not aware of any plans to initiate a similar project in the future.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

City Regions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what definition the Government uses of a city region.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There is no standard Government definition of what constitutes a city region. The concept of a city region is most commonly defined in terms of the travel to work hinterland of cities and towns, but it can also be described by patterns of travel to shopping centres or entertainment venues, or the geographical linkages between businesses and their suppliers.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions the Government have had with the National Assembly of Wales Government since 1 April on the council tax revaluation in Wales.

Phil Woolas: The Government are routinely in touch with the Assembly Government about local government issues.

Council Tax

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the percentage change in the average Band D council tax has been since 199798; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Since 199798, the percentage change in the average Band D council tax has been 76.5 per cent.
	The change is derived from headline taxes, before transitional reliefs and benefits and after capping. These figures are taken from BR1, BR2 and BR3 forms, as reported by the local authorities.

Council Tax Revaluation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place a copy of the instructions and advice document prepared by the Valuation Office Agency for the English council tax revaluation in the Library.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency has issued a number of instructions and advice documents to those of its staff who were involved in preparation for the council tax revaluation. These will be placed in the Library of the House. The existing Council Tax Manual which is used currently by the Valuation Office Agency can be found on their website www.voa.gov.uk.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the rates of employee absence in his Office have been in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. I refer the hon. Member to the figures contained in the annual report Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service published by the Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based. The most recent report for calendar year 2003 was published on 1 November and copies placed in the Libraries of the House. Reports for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are also available in the Library and on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_ser vice/conditions_of_service/occupational_health/publications/index.asp
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and is putting in place the recommendations of recently published report Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of his Office.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Adult Basic Skills or 'Skills for Life' support is offered to new entrants and is also highlighted to managers, as part of the induction process.
	Skills for Life has its own page on the intranet with links to:
	Department for Education and Skills on-line literacy and numeracy tests;
	The Training Framework, which has a section on writing skills;
	The City Lit, who provide a range of Skills for Life courses;
	The Plain English Campaign;
	BBC SkillWise;
	LearnDirect.
	There is also information provided about dyslexia.
	Development advice is provided to individuals on request, regarding literacy, numeracy and dyslexia. Learners are then referred to appropriate providers.
	All staff have access to an on-site 'Learning Library'. This is well stocked and covers a wide range of material including Adult Basic Skills.

Departmental Working Groups

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2005, Official Report, columns 60809W, on departmental working groups, how minutes from departmental working groups are (a) stored and (b) catalogued.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Official records, which include minutes of departmental working groups, are kept in registered files if they are in paper form or in electronic folders if they are created electronically. The files and folders are catalogued on a central database under themes and titles which describe the subject matter but will not necessarily contain the name of the working group itself. Registered files are kept internally or in an off-site store. Electronic records are all held internally.

Departmental Working Groups

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 14 October 2005, Official Report, columns 6089W, on departmental working groups, 
	(1)  if he will list the standing departmental working groups;
	(2)  if he will list the departmental working groups that have been attended in the last 12 months by (a) the Deputy Prime Minister, (b) the Minister of Communities and Local Government, (c) departmental special advisers, (d) the Permanent Secretary and (e) junior departmental Ministers;
	(3)  if he will list the minutes from departmental working groups that have been sent to the offices of (a) the Deputy Prime Minister and (b) the Minister of Communities and Local Government since 1 January.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 October 2005, Official Report, columns 60809W. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Service

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the regionalisation of the Fire Service.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government have no plans to regionalise the fire and rescue service. It has announced the locations of nine regional FiReControl centres designed to improve emergency response and strengthen resilience; and is encouraging and assisting Fire and Rescue Authorities to work together through Regional Management Boards to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
	Individual Fire and Rescue Authorities remain responsible for their local fire and rescue service and the content of its Integrated Risk Management Plan.

Local Area Agreements

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what (a) freedoms and (b) funding local authorities who sign Local Area Agreements will receive;
	(2)  what targets have been agreed for each Local Area Agreement that has been signed to date;
	(3)  whether local authorities may (a) break and (b) leave Local Area Agreements; and what the penalties are for doing so;
	(4)  how long the current round of Local Area Agreements will last.

Phil Woolas: Local Area Agreements (LAA) are three year agreements. They give all areas the freedom to pool funding and spend it more flexibly to meet priorities for the individual local area. Further freedoms to help meet outcomes and targets in the LAA can be requested by each local area and those which have been granted and are under discussion are contained in each LAA. The level and type of funding varies across agreement, as each is based on different local priorities. The LAA guidance includes a summary of the funding streams which can be included in the agreements.
	LAAs are entered into voluntarily by local authorities and their partners in the locality. Each local area develops appropriate performance management systems for the LAA and there are measures which can be applied should certain agreed targets not be met. Each LAA is based on local priorities and so each has a particular list of targets.
	A copy of each LAA is available on the ODPM website:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_control/documents/contentservertemplate/odpm_index.hcst?n=58991=3

Local Government Ombudsman

Stephen Byers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will extend the powers of the Local Government Ombudsman to include complaints made against the actions of a local authority monitoring officer.

Phil Woolas: Section 26 of the Local Government Act 1974 provides that the Local Government Ombudsman may investigate complaints of injustice caused by maladministration in connection with action taken by or on behalf of a local authority. While it is for the Courts to interpret the statute, an allegation of maladministration in respect of an action by an officer of the authority such as the monitoring officer would already appear to fall within the Ombudsman's remit.

Millennium Dome

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many firm bids there were for the millennium dome.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Under the first dome sale competition, which ran from March 1999 until February 2001, there were six firm final proposals, which culminated in preferred bidder status being given to two bidders in succession. When neither of those proposals could be brought to completion, the second sale process invited expressions of interest for both a future use for the dome and compatible uses for associated land on the Greenwich Peninsula. Three substantive proposals were received, although only two of these offered specific uses for the dome itself. Subsequently, the Meridian Delta Ltd. consortium with the Anschutz Entertainment Group was selected as best satisfying the assessment criteria, and negotiations were concluded with that consortium in May 2002. The commercial contracts went unconditional in June 2004 and work is now well under way on the new arena inside the dome.

Planning Applications

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the proportion of the cost incurred by local councils in processing planning applications which were covered by planning application fees in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: In the last year for which an assessment was made, 2003, it was estimated that fees covered on average between 72 per cent. and 87 per cent. of the costs of handling planning applications depending on how overheads are measured. Since then fees for handling planning applications in England have been increased. These increases came into effect on 1 April 2005. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimates that these increases will generate an additional 68 million of extra resources for LPAs in England in 200506 which should lead broadly to full cost recovery.

Property Services Agency

Michael Spicer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Government department (a) has responsibility for the residuary functions of the Property Services Agency (PSA) and (b) maintains the registry of former employees of the PSA.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 20 October 2005
	The former Property Services Agency (PSA) was responsible for the provision of property management services, building construction and maintenance and appropriate related supplies to Government departments. The Office for the Deputy Prime Minster has responsibilities for residual matters relating to the former PSA in respect of (1) the parts of civil estate for which the former Department of the Environment was responsible and (2) any outstanding financial liabilities of the PSA. In practice these responsibilities mostly relate to residuary liabilities for former PSA employees. ODPM does not maintain a registry of former employees of the PSA.

Rebranding

Vincent Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent on rebranding in his Department and related agencies since 200304.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has spent 52,117 on developing and introducing the revised corporate identity for the Department since 2003. This work included all design and promotional work including the guidelines advice.
	The information on rebranding for related agencies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Window Cleaning Service

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost has been of providing a window cleaning service for the parliamentary estate each year since 1997, broken down by cost for each building cleaned.

Nick Harvey: Until 2003 the cost of window cleaning was not separately identified. Since August 2003 when the present contract was let, the annual costs of window cleaning in buildings on the parliamentary estate have been as follows. The overall cost of window cleaning on the parliamentary estate is set out in the contract; the apportionment between individual buildings is a matter for the contractor. The figures shown represent the cost to the House of Commons.
	
		
		
			 Building Charge to House of Commons 
		
		
			 Palace of Westminster 58,000 
			 Norman Shaw North 7,000 
			 Norman Shaw South 3,000 
			 1 Canon Row 3,000 
			 1 Derby Gate 3,000 
			 1 Parliament Street 4,000 
			 7 Old Palace Yard 1,000 
			 1 The Abbey Garden 1,000 
			 2 The Abbey Garden 1,000 
			 Millbank House 1,000 
			 7 Millbank 9,000 
			 22 John Islip Street 1,000 
			 Portcullis House 63,000 
			 Fielden House 9,000 
			 Total 164,000

WORK AND PENSIONS

Age-related Payments

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to what extent the payment of the age-related payment will take account of the level of council tax benefit which an individual is receiving.

James Plaskitt: People in receipt of the guarantee credit element of pension credit, who are entitled to the maximum help available through council tax benefit, are not entitled to the 200 payment. Those not in receipt of the guarantee credit element of pension credit are eligible for the 200 age-related payment.

Benefits

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of (a) incapacity benefit, (b) jobseeker's allowance, (c) income support and (d) income support for lone parents in Pudsey in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The Information is the tables.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disability allowance (SDA) claimants in Pudsey parliamentary constituency
		
			 As at February each year All IB/SDA IB SDA 
		
		
			 1997 3,000 2,400 (28)500 
			 1998 2,700 2,200 (28)500 
			 1999 2,600 2,100 (28)500 
			 2000 2,800 2,300 (28)500 
			 2001 2,800 2,400 (28)400 
			 2002 2,700 2,300 (28)400 
			 2003 2,700 2,300 (28)300 
			 2004 2,600 2,300 (28)300 
			 2005 2,600 2,300 (28)300 
		
	
	
		Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants in Pudsey parliamentary constituency
		
			 As at February each year JSA(C) JSA(IB) 
		
		
			 1997 (28)400 700 
			 1998 (28)200 700 
			 1999 (28)400 600 
			 2000 (28)100 (28)500 
			 2001 (28)200 (28)500 
			 2002 (28)200 (28)400 
			 2003 (28)300 (28)300 
			 2004 (28)200 (28)300 
			 2005 (28)100 (28)600 
		
	
	
		Income support (IS) claimants in Pudsey parliamentary constituency
		
			 As at February each year All IS IS lone parents 
		
		
			 1997 4,600 1,000 
			 1998 4,500 1,000 
			 1999 4,300 1,000 
			 2000 4,300 900 
			 2001 4,300 900 
			 2002 4,100 700 
			 2003 4,100 600 
			 2004 1,800 700 
			 2005 1,800 600 
		
	
	(28) Figures are based on very few sample cases and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variation. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. From November 2003 IS figures are severely affected by the introduction of pension credit, which replaced MIG on the 6 October 2003 and extended IS entitlement to customers aged 60+. Pension credit cases are not included in the figures in the table. It is not possible to produce comparisons across 6 October 2003 on a consistent basis, whether pension credit cases are included or not.
	4. 'Lone parents' are defined as single parents aged under 60 and not in receipt of a disability premium.
	5. 'Others' are defined as everyone who isn't a lone parent.
	6. There is a small overlap between jobseeker's allowance (income-based) (JSA(IB)) and jobseeker's allowance (contribution-based) (JSA(C)) caseloadsclaimants in receipt of income-based JSA who would also be entitled to the contributory element are counted in both categories.
	7. Incapacity Benefit figures include credits only cases.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples.

Benefits

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Easington constituency are in receipt of (a) state retirement pension, (b) job seeker's allowance and (c) incapacity benefit.

Stephen Timms: In Easington parliamentary constituency, there were 15,400 people in receipt of state pension, as at September 2004; 1,143 people in receipt of jobseeker's allowance, as at September 2005; and 9,500 people in receipt of incapacity benefit or severe disability allowance, as at February 2005. In each case, these are the most recent available figures.

Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much it cost to run the Benefits Fraud Hotline in each of the last three years; and how many calls it received in each year.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		National Benefit Fraud Hotline operating costs
		
			   
		
		
			 April to March  
			 200203 959,277 
			 200304 957,977 
			 200405 1,192,843 
		
	
	
		Calls answered by National Benefit Fraud Hotline
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 April to March  
			 200203 159,290 
			 200304 211,054 
			 200405 199,004 
		
	
	Source:
	National Benefit Fraud Hotline

Benefits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) budget and (b) staffing levels of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate were for the (i) 200203, (ii) 200304 and (iii) 200405 financial years.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the tables.
	
		Benefit Fraud Inspectorate budget 
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200203(29) 7.11 
			 200304 7.71 
			 200405 7.86 
		
	
	(29) This included recruitment for comprehensive performance assessment work and performance improvement action team (funded by Treasury Invest to Save money).
	
		Benefit Fraud Inspectorate staffing levels
		
			  Staff in post 
		
		
			 200203 139 
			 200304 154 
			 200405 147

Benefits

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Government have to (a) tackle benefit fraud and (b) simplify the benefits system.

James Plaskitt: Our plans for tackling benefit fraud were published in 'Reducing Fraud in the Benefit System: Achievements and Ambitions' on 13 October which is available in the Library.
	We are exploring and developing ways to simplify benefits while continuing to protect social security expenditure. We want to ensure that they provide the best support for helping people into work while protecting the position of those in greatest need. We want to improve the financial incentives to work for some groups, to strengthen the incentives to seek work, and to save for retirement for all groups. We are also looking at the interaction between the benefits system and other forms of support.

Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimates are of take-up rates of each benefit and pension payment administered by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Estimates of take-up of the main income-related benefits administered by the DWPincome support, minimum income guarantee and income-based jobseeker's allowanceas well as local authority administered housing benefit and council tax benefit, can be found in the DWP publication series entitled: Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up. Copies of the reports are held in the Library; in due course the series will cover take-up of pension credit.
	Estimates from the Department's Pensioners' Incomes Series, copies of which can be found in the Library, show 98 per cent. of all pensioner families (single pensioners and pensioner couples) have some income from the state pension.
	Currently it is not possible to estimate take-up rates for disability living allowance and attendance allowance. Following a recommendation in 'Meeting DWP's long-term information needs on disability: a feasibility report', (DWP Research report number 267), the Department is commissioning research to test two possible approaches to establish whether it is possible to estimate take-up rates for these benefits. Results will be available in 2007.
	Information on the take-up rates of other DWP administered benefits are not available.

Benefits

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Government continue to provide benefits to meet the interest payments on a loan which had been taken out by a person now on benefits when an endowment policy accompanying a mortgage matures but does not provide sufficient funds to pay off the balance of that mortgage.

James Plaskitt: Yes; the balance of any loan which originally qualified for help with interest payments would remain eligible for such help where part of the capital is repaid.

Benefits

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of housing benefit paid to council tenants was in the last year for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: In 200405, the total cost of housing benefit rent rebate paid to local authority tenants in Great Britain was 5,184 million.
	Notes:
	1. Figure has been rounded to the nearest million.
	2. Figure includes non-HRA rent rebate expenditure, which is expenditure outside the housing revenue account covering tenants who are temporarily homeless and placed into local authority housing.
	3. Figure subject to slight change following receipt of 200405 final audited subsidy claims data.
	4. Figure will vary from the published Budget 2005 expenditure forecast for 200405 but will be consistent with that provided at PBR 2005.
	Source:
	200405 Initial Final subsidy claims data, October 2005

Benefits

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of households which did not take-up entitlement to council tax benefit, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) local authority area, (i) in total and (ii) as a percentage of the number of eligible households, listed in descending order of percentage take-up.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available below national level. The latest available information is in Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take Up in 2002/2003, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Child Support Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents on the new child support scheme have registered as full-time students in each month since March 2003.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Disability Living Allowance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under what circumstances Ministers can intervene in individual cases relating to the award of disability living allowance.

Anne McGuire: Decisions on claims to disability living allowance and other social security benefits are made in accordance with the relevant legislation and case law by decision makers delegated to do so on behalf of the Secretary of State. There are no circumstances in which the Secretary of State or his Ministers can intervene personally to influence the award of benefit, disallowance of a claim or the removal of benefit from someone receiving it.
	The Secretary of State, however, through the authority delegated to officials, can conduct random checks on individual cases to ensure that benefit remains properly payable. He can also institute a reconsideration of entitlement in individual cases if he has reason to believe there may be doubt about entitlement to benefit. In either of these circumstances the Secretary of State can demand information from a benefit recipient to help determine whether they are or remain entitled to benefit.

Household Statistics

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of children living in households with no adult in work are (a) in single parent households, (b) in a household with at least one parent claiming incapacity benefit and (c) in a household with at least one adult on jobseeker's allowance; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: In spring 2005 the proportion of children living in households in Great Britain where No one is working was 15.7 per cent. Of this, 67 per cent. live in lone parent households.
	Source:
	Household Labour Force Survey, Spring 2005.
	In February 2005 there were an estimated 969,000 children and young adult dependents in families claiming sick and disabled benefits (this is a slightly broader definition than incapacity benefits, and may include some people in work), representing 36 per cent. of the total number of children in families claiming a key working age benefit.
	Source:
	DWP Client group analysis for Great Britain, February 2005.
	215,000 children and young adult dependents in February 2005 were in families claiming jobseeker's allowance, representing 8 per cent. of the total number of children in families claiming a key working age benefit.
	Source:
	DWP Client group analysis for Great Britain, February 2005.

Income Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the conditions for receipt of income support by lone parents.

James Plaskitt: A lone parent can receive income support if they have a child under the age of 16 for whom they are responsible and who is a member of their household. A person is considered as responsible for a child if they are in receipt of child benefit for that child. If no one has claimed child benefit, the child will be treated as the responsibility of the person with whom they normally live.
	The lone parent must not be in remunerative work, which is defined as work of 16 hours per week or more. Their income from all sources, after any appropriate disregard, must be below the applicable amount, which is defined as the amount of benefit appropriate to their circumstances. In addition, the lone parent's capital must be below the upper limit, which is currently 8,000increasing to 16,000 from April 2006for most people under the age of 60.

IT Services

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the recent restructuring of outsourced contracts for IT services for his Department.

Stephen Timms: The realignment of contracts between DWP and EDS was announced on 24 August 2005. The new arrangements will provide the Department with significantly better IT services at a lower price.
	On average, over the next five years, the Department will be spending around 520 million a year on services delivered by EDS, compared to more than 700 million a year spent since the DWP was created. This is while the Department, in line with the Gershon recommendations, is modernising and becoming more IT focused.
	The savings are a result of a contract realignment which simplifies the complex structure of separate contracts inherited by the DWP when it was created out of the former Department of Social Security and Department for Education and Employment. The realigned contract brings together and standardises the different historical arrangements and ensures highly competitive, benchmarked prices for the services EDS delivers.

Migrant Workers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the benefit entitlement of migrant workers.

James Plaskitt: To be entitled to income-related benefits, including income-based jobseeker's allowance, income support, state pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit, a claimant must be habitually resident, and have a right to reside, in the Common Travel Area. The Common Travel Area includes the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland.
	Workers from the European economic area (EEA) other than nationals of the eight accession-countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia) (A8), have immediate access to income-related benefits. This is because they have a right to reside under EC law and are treated as habitually resident.
	A8 workers who are registered under the Home Office Worker Registration Scheme have a right to reside and are entitled to in-work benefits such as housing benefit and council tax benefit. If they are in part-time work, working 15 hours or less a week, they can also qualify for income-based jobseeker's allowance. If they lose their job they lose their worker status, but will be able to remain in the UK to look for work. However, they will not have access to the benefit system. After 12 months of uninterrupted registered work they can have access to the full range of benefits.
	All other foreign nationals who come here to take up work are subject to immigration control and are excluded from income-related benefits

Migrant Workers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many migrant workers are claiming (a) income support, (b) jobseeker's allowance, (c) incapacity benefit and (d) disability living allowance; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Basic Bank Accounts

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of basic bank accounts opened for the purposes of receiving state pension and benefit payments with (a) Abbey, (b) Barclays, (c) HSBC, (d) Halifax/Bank of Scotland, (e) Royal Bank of Scotland/Nat West, (f) Lloyds TSB and (g) Nationwide Building Society; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available in the format requested. With the exception of the Post Office card account, the information we collect within the Department does not differentiate between the different types of account offered by the different financial institutions.
	Latest figures from the British Bankers' Association show that the number of basic bank accounts has continued to grow with more than 5.8 million accounts of this type now in operation. All the major banks now offer a basic bank account and more than 2 million of these accounts can be accessed at Post Office branches.
	Since April 2003, when direct payment became the Departments normal way of paying benefits and pensions, a net total of around 1.4 million basic bank accounts have been opened.
	The Department is now paying around 97 per cent. of customers by direct payment into an account.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of indexing the pensions of British citizens retiring to each country without a reciprocal agreement on social security, from this point forward, but without restoring the pensions to the level they would be at had they always been indexed (a) for each of the next five years, (b) in 2015, (c) in 2020 and (d) in 2030;
	(2)  how many overseas citizens who have settled in the United Kingdom since 1975 are now receiving (a) UK pensions and (b) UK means-tested pension benefits; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many citizens of the United Kingdom who are resident outside the United Kingdom are receiving a basic state pension which is not uprated each year, broken down by country of residence.

Stephen Timms: Such information as is available is in the tables.
	The information in table 1 shows the estimated costs of uprating the current amount of state pension paid to people residing in countries where it is not uprated.
	Reliable long-term estimates are not available. However, the costs would increase significantly over future years.
	
		Table 1
		
			  Additional cost of uprating () 
		
		
			 200506 20,000,000 
			 200607 50,000,000 
			 200708 70,000,000 
			 200809 100,000,000 
			 200910 130,000,000 
		
	
	Source:
	Forecast expenditure figures based upon DWP Retirement Pension administrative data, HM Treasury short-term Retail Prices Index forecasts and GAD Overseas Pensioner forecasts.
	The Department does not collect details of individuals' citizenship as UK state benefits are paid to all who satisfy the conditions of entitlement regardless of citizenship. Therefore, information on benefit entitlement split by citizenship status is not available. The information in table 2 shows the numbers of UK state pensions paid to people residing in countries outside the European Economic Area and with which the UK does not have a reciprocal Social Security agreement covering uprating of UK state pensions.
	
		Table 2
		
			 Country Number of UK state pensions paid 
		
		
			 Afghanistan 1 
			 Albania 9 
			 Algeria 7 
			 Andorra 201 
			 Anguilla 142 
			 Antigua 426 
			 Antilles (Netherlands) 31 
			 Arab Emirates (United) 256 
			 Argentina 238 
			 Ascension Island 5 
			 Australia 236,851 
			 Bahamas 235 
			 Bahrain 64 
			 Bangladesh 2,682 
			 Barbuda 4 
			 Belize 53 
			 Benin 4 
			 Bhutan 1 
			 Bolivia 25 
			 Botswana 131 
			 Brazil 498 
			 Brunei 14 
			 Bulgaria 59 
			 Burkina Faso 2 
			 Burma 3 
			 Cameroon 12 
			 Canada 151,230 
			 Cape Verde Islands 6 
			 Cayman Islands 104 
			 Central African Republic 2 
			 Chad 173 
			 Chile 1 
			 China Peoples Republic 112 
			 Colombia 84 
			 Congo 2 
			 Cook Islands 7 
			 Costa Rica 48 
			 Cote D'Ivoire 2 
			 Cuba 6 
			 Democratic Republic of the Congo 2 
			 Djibouti 100 
			 Dominica Commonwealth 1,099 
			 Dominican Republic 35 
			 Ecuador 44 
			 Egypt 156 
			 El Salvador 9 
			 Ethiopia 27 
			 Falkland Islands and Dependencies 38 
			 Faroe Islands 8 
			 Fiji 75 
			 Gambia 76 
			 Ghana 778 
			 Greenland 1 
			 Grenada 1,514 
			 Guatemala 9 
			 Guinea 2 
			 Guyana 438 
			 Haiti 1 
			 Honduras 8 
			 Hong Kong 1,097 
			 India 4,139 
			 Indonesia 86 
			 Iran 15 
			 Iraq 7 
			 Japan 324 
			 Jordan 47 
			 Kampuchea 6 
			 Kenya 593 
			 Kiribati 3 
			 Kuwait 40 
			 Lebanon 59 
			 Lesotho 7 
			 Liberia 2 
			 Libya 2 
			 Macau 10 
			 Malagasy Republic 6 
			 Malawi 86 
			 Malaysia 446 
			 Maldive Islands 2 
			 Mexico 301 
			 Monaco 293 
			 Mongolia 2 
			 Montserrat 143 
			 Morocco 86 
			 Mozambique 3 
			 Namibia 41 
			 Nepal 25 
			 Nevis St. Kitts-Nevis 503 
			 New Caledonia 4 
			 New Zealand 44,965 
			 Nicaragua 7 
			 Niger 1 
			 Nigeria 2,410 
			 Norfolk Island 8 
			 Oman 51 
			 Pakistan 4,969 
			 Panama 21 
			 Papua New Guinea 16 
			 Paraguay 21 
			 Peru 90 
			 Qatar 27 
			 Republic of Armenia 2 
			 Republic of Azerbaijan 2 
			 Republic of Belarus 20 
			 Republic of Kazakhstan 1 
			 Republic of Kyrgyzstan 1 
			 Republic of Moldova 3 
			 Republic of Tajikistan 1 
			 Republic of Turkmenistan 2 
			 Republic of Uzbekistan 2 
			 Republic of Yemen 2,779 
			 Rumania 22 
			 Rwanda 1 
			 San Marino 1 
			 Sarawak 2 
			 Saudi Arabia 140 
			 Senegal 7 
			 Seychelles 90 
			 Sharjah 1 
			 Sierra Leone 96 
			 Singapore 279 
			 Solomon Islands 8 
			 Somalia 48 
			 South Africa 36,558 
			 South Korea 14 
			 Sri Lanka 586 
			 St. Helena and Dependencies 71 
			 St. Lucia 1,370 
			 St. Martins 1 
			 St. Vincents and Grenadines 812 
			 Sudan 4 
			 Surinam 3 
			 Swaziland 94 
			 Syria 24 
			 Tahiti 2 
			 Taiwan 17 
			 Tanzania 56 
			 Thailand 1,019 
			 The Russian Federation 87 
			 Togo 7 
			 Tonga 10 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 1,257 
			 Tunisia 23 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 19 
			 Uganda 65 
			 Ukraine 228 
			 Uruguay 33 
			 Vanuatu 21 
			 Venezuela 79 
			 Vietnam 9 
			 Virgin Islands (British) 47 
			 Western Samoa 7 
			 Zambia 178 
			 Zimbabwe 2,809 
		
	
	Source:
	DWP caseload dataOctober 2005

Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in the Coventry, South area who have lost their pensions due to firm insolvency since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available. The Government are currently inviting notifications of affected pension schemes to the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), and are therefore obtaining some information on the number of members facing pensions losses due to company insolvency. In due course, information will also be collected on individual members in schemes qualifying for FAS, including their addresses, at which point it may be possible to make some estimates of numbers affected in particular areas.

Voice Stress Analysis

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget has been allocated for testing the use of voice stress analysis in telephone based benefit claims; which section of his Department is managing this work; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: At the present time no specific budget has been allocated for testing the use of voice stress analysis in telephone based claims. Work to assess the feasibility of such tests is being managed by a team of staff drawn from a number of sections within the Department who have experience of using technology for the administration of benefit claims.

Voice Stress Analysis

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to introduce lie-detector tests for benefit claimants for telephone claims; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he plans to introduce voice stress analysis for processing telephone claims for benefits; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Voice stress analysis is one technique we are considering to help improve customer service and eliminate fraud and error in telephone claims for benefits. We will assess the usefulness of this technology. Once piloting and other work is completed we will consider what application the technology has for the administration of benefit claims. We will not be piloting voice stress analysis on telephone claims to disability living allowance.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members' Salaries

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Leader of the Househow many hon. Members are not eligible for anyadditional salary above the basic Member's salarygranted for a ministerial or other position in the House.

Geoff Hoon: From 1 November, when the members of the chairmen's panel become eligible for additional payments, a total of 153 Members will receive an addition to the basic Member's salary. 488 Members will therefore receive the basic salary only. (This excludes the five Sinn Fein Members who do not receive a salary.)

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Council

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries with a British Council presence; and in which countries such a presence has been (a) created and (b) withdrawn since 1997.

Jack Straw: The countries and territories with a British Council presence are:
	Afghanistan
	Albania
	Algeria
	Argentina
	Armenia
	Australia
	Austria
	Azerbaijan
	Bahrain
	Bangladesh
	Bosnia and Herzegovina
	Botswana
	Brazil
	Belgium
	Bulgaria
	Burma
	Cameroon
	Canada
	Chile
	China
	Colombia
	Croatia
	Cuba
	Cyprus
	Czech Republic
	Denmark
	Egypt
	Eritrea
	Estonia
	Ethiopia
	Finland
	France
	Georgia
	Germany
	Ghana
	Greece
	Hungary
	India
	Indonesia
	Iran
	Iraq
	Ireland
	Israel
	Italy
	Jamaica
	Japan
	Jordan
	Kazakhstan
	Kenya
	Korea
	Kosovo
	Kuwait
	Latvia
	Lebanon
	Libya
	Lithuania
	Macedonia
	Malawi
	Malaysia
	Malta
	Mauritius
	Mexico
	Morocco
	Mozambique
	Namibia
	Nepal
	Netherlands
	New Zealand
	Nigeria
	Norway
	Oman
	Pakistan
	Palestinian Territories 1
	Peru
	Philippines
	Poland
	Portugal
	Qatar
	Romania
	Russia
	Saudi Arabia
	Senegal
	Serbia and Montenegro 2
	Sierra Leone
	Singapore
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	South Africa
	Spain
	Sri Lanka
	Sudan
	Sweden
	Switzerland
	Syria
	Tanzania
	Thailand
	Trinidad and Tobago
	Tunisia
	Turkey
	Uganda
	Ukraine
	United Arab Emirates
	USA
	Uzbekistan
	Venezuela
	Vietnam
	Yemen
	Zambia
	Zimbabwe
	1 Previously East Jerusalem and Gaza.
	2 The British Council office in Belgrade previously covered the whole of the former Yugoslavia.
	Countries or territories in which the British Council has established a presence since 1997:
	Afghanistan
	Armenia
	Iraq
	Iran
	Libya
	The British Council also has a presence in Kosovo, which is not a country or territory but is in UN Administration.
	Countries or territories from which the British Council has withdrawn its presence since 1997:
	Belarus
	Brunei
	Ecuador
	Lesotho
	Swaziland
	Kyrgyzstan

Common Agricultural Policy

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the Government are putting forward to EU (a) partners and EU (b) institutions for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Presidency has not put forward any detailed proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). What we have asked for is a proper debate on the future of the EU budget, including the CAP, and we have seen public contributions from politicians, political commentators, economists and fanners across Europe. As Presidency, we have also held formal consultations with each of the member states, as well as Romania and Bulgaria, in order to ensure that we understand their views and concerns on the EU budget for 200713, including the fundamental review of Community spending that we have proposed. The purpose of such a review would be to ensure that EU expenditure is focused on areas where the EU can add the most value in comparison with spending at the national or regional level, taking into account the global economic and political challenges faced by the EU. The UK Presidency believes agreement on the 200713 budget can and should be reached in December, and we will have to reflect, in the light of member states' views and the proposals published by the European Commission on 20 October, how best to do this. We have also made good progress towards an agreement to reform the CAP sugar regime. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will update Parliament on these negotiations in due course.

China

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether the Chinese Government has cancelled the passport of students from Tibet granted Chevening scholarships by his Department;
	(2)  pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2005, Official Report, column 732W, on Tibetan Students (China), whether the British Ambassador in Bejing has reported any Chevening scholars having their passport withdrawn by the Chinese Government; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The British Embassy in China has approved two Chevening scholarships for Tibetan students in the last three years. Unfortunately, one of these students was unable to take up a place at a UK university due to various reasons, only one of which was related to the applicant not having a passport. Issuing passports to Chinese nationals remains a matter for the Chinese Government.

Departmental Staff

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the Director of Human Resources is of his Department; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date.

Jack Straw: The Human Resources Director of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is Mr. David Warren. He has no specialist qualifications. There are a number of professionally qualified staff in the Directorate, and we employ outside experts with appropriate professional qualifications where necessary.
	He is a career diplomat who joined the FCO in 1975 and has served in a number of positions in London, including Personnel Policy Department where he was also an interviewer for the Civil Service Selection Board, and overseas in Tokyo (twice) and Nairobi. From 200004 he was a Director and member of the Senior Management Team of UK Trade and Investment, the joint FCO/Department of Trade and Industry organisation.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the rates of employee absence in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: Recorded sickness absence for staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) was as follows:
	
		
			  Total number of sickness days Rate (days/officer) 
		
		
			 2000 (30)20,900 3.8 
			 2001 25,012 4.6 
			 2002 27,720 4.9 
			 2003 33,219 5.6 
			 2004 35,969 6.0 
		
	
	(30) Estimate, based on available data.
	Figures for years before 2000 are not available. Data collection over this period has been complicated by the introduction of new pay and management information systems. It is therefore possible that the figures given do not reflect consistent recording methods. The FCO is currently working to improve both accuracy and detail in this area.
	Per capita sickness absence in the FCO has been consistently below the public sector average. In 2003 it was recorded at 5.6 days per person. The data showed a slight rise in 2004 to six days per person. This is likely to be the result of better management control/reporting and the introduction of new IT systems.
	The FCO is fully committed to implementing the recommendations in the report on Managing Sickness in the Public Sector. A new FCO health care contract which started in April 2005 includes a comprehensive occupational health service aimed at better and more proactive management of long and short-term sickness absence.

Diplomatic Missions (Traffic Violations)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) parking and (b) other minor traffic violation fines incurred by diplomatic missions in (i) London and (ii) the UK in each of the last four years are outstanding.

Jack Straw: I shall issue a Written Statement, within this Parliamentary session, listing the number of outstanding parking and other minor traffic violation fines incurred by diplomatic missions based in the UK for 2004. In practice, because diplomatic missions are based mainly in London, these figures are provided by London borough councils. Details for the previous three years can be found in the Official Report as follows:
	(2001)12 July 2002, Official Report, columns 125657W
	(2002)11 September 2003, Official Report, columns 3133WS
	(2003)9 September 2004, Official Report, columns 136138WS

Diplomatic Missions (Traffic Violations)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in respect of which countries' diplomatic missions he has had (a) discussions, (b) meetings and (c) correspondence regarding a refusal to pay the congestion charge citing (i) Article 34 and (ii) Article 49 of the Vienna Convention.

Jack Straw: Prior to the introduction of the Congestion Charge, I had representations from the Danish and Spanish Embassies and corresponded with the Deans of the Americas, Arab, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Pacific Groups. Following the introduction of the Congestion Charge in February 2003, I have had representations from the African Union Group, who also met with my officials, as well as correspondence with the Bulgarian, Swiss, German, Moroccan and US Embassies.

Director for the Americas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to appoint a Director for the Americas.

Jack Straw: An appointment is expected to be made shortly, following usual internal procedures.

Embassies/High Commissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list embassies which his Department has (a) opened and (b) closed in each year from 1997.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has opened 10 and closed nine embassies and high commissions since 1997. The following table provides further details of these posts and the year in which they were either opened or closed. Like any well-run organisation, the FCO continues to move its resources flexibly, in line with UK interests.
	
		Embassies and high commissions opened and closed since 1997
		
			  Mission opened Mission closed 
		
		
			 200001 Tripoli  
			 200102 Asmara, Bamako, Dushanbe, Kabul and Pyongyang  
			 200203 Chisinau, Conakry and Dili  
			 200304  Bamako, Managua, San Salvador and Tegucigalpa 
			 200405 Baghdad  
			 200506  Antananarivo, Asuncion, Maseru, Mbabane and Nassau

Embassies/High Commissions

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) embassies and (b) high commissions have been (i) closed, (ii) contracted in respect of personnel and (iii) expanded in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Jack Straw: holding answer 17 October 2005
	Like any well-run organisation the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) deploys its resources flexibly as priorities require in line with UK interests. The following embassies and high commissions have been closed in the last five years.
	200001
	None
	200102
	None
	200203
	None
	200304
	Bamako, Managua, San Salvador and Tegucigalpa
	200405
	None
	200506
	Antananarivo, Asuncion, Maseru, Mbabane and Nassau
	The size of UK missions overseas is determined by a range of factors including changes in demand for consular and visa services; reductions due to efficiency measures; and reprioritisations in line with changed UK priorities. Data are not held centrally for non-FCO staff, eg Ministry of Defence or the Department for International Development, in British missions overseas. The following embassies and High commissions are therefore those that have expanded or contracted FCO staff numbers in the last two years. Comparable data are not held centrally for earlier years.
	
		
			 Name 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Abidjan  Contract 
			 Abu Dhabi Contract Expand 
			 Abuja Expand Expand 
			 Accra Expand Expand 
			 Addis Ababa Expand Expand 
			 Algiers Expand Contract 
			 Almaty Expand  
			 Amman Expand Expand 
			 Ankara Expand Expand 
			 Antananarivo  Contract 
			 Ashgabat  Contract 
			 Asmara Contract  
			 Athens Expand Contract 
			 Baghdad Expand Expand 
			 Bahrain Expand  
			 Baku Expand  
			 Bandar Seri Begawan Expand Contract 
			 Bangkok Expand Expand 
			 Beijing Expand Expand 
			 Beirut Expand Expand 
			 Belgrade Expand Expand 
			 Belmopan  Contract 
			 Berlin Expand Expand 
			 Berne Expand Contract 
			 Bogota Expand Expand 
			 Brasilia Expand Contract 
			 Bratislava Contract Expand 
			 Bridgetown Expand Expand 
			 Brussels Expand Contract 
			 Bucharest Expand Contract 
			 Budapest Expand Contract 
			 Buenos Aires Expand  
			 Cairo Expand  
			 Canberra Expand Contract 
			 Caracas Expand  
			 Chisinau Expand  
			 Canberra Expand Contract 
			 Colombo Expand Contract 
			 Copenhagen Expand  
			 Dakar Expand  
			 Damascus Expand Expand 
			 Dar es Salaam Expand Contract 
			 Dhaka Expand Contract 
			 Doha Expand Expand 
			 Dublin Expand Contract 
			 Dushanbe Expand Expand 
			 Freetown Expand Expand 
			 Georgetown Expand  
			 Guatemala Expand  
			 Hague Expand  
			 Hanoi Expand Contract 
			 Harare Contract Expand 
			 Helsinki Expand Contract 
			 Islamabad Expand Expand 
			 Jakarta Expand Contract 
			 Kabul Expand Expand 
			 Kampala Expand  
			 Kathmandu Expand Contract 
			 Khartoum Expand Expand 
			 Kiev Expand  
			 Kigali Expand Expand 
			 Kingston Expand Contract 
			 Kinshasa Expand Expand 
			 Kuala Lumpur Expand Expand 
			 Kuwait City Expand  
			 La Paz  Contract 
			 Lilongwe Expand Contract 
			 Lima Contract Contract 
			 Ljubljana Expand  
			 Luanda Expand Contract 
			 Lusaka Expand Contract 
			 Madrid Expand Expand 
			 Manila Expand Expand 
			 Maputo  Contract 
			 Maseru Expand  
			 Mbabane Contract  
			 Mexico City Expand Expand 
			 Moscow Expand  
			 Muscat Expand  
			 Nairobi Expand Expand 
			 New Delhi Expand Contract 
			 Nicosia Contract Expand 
			 Ottawa Expand Contract 
			 Paris Expand Expand 
			 Phnom Penh Expand Contract 
			 Port Louis  Contract 
			 Prague Expand Contract 
			 Pretoria Expand Expand 
			 Pyong Yang Expand  
			 Rabat  Expand 
			 Rangoon Expand Expand 
			 Riga Expand  
			 Riyadh Expand  
			 Rome Expand Contract 
			 Sana'a Expand Expand 
			 Santiago  Contract 
			 Sarajevo Expand  
			 Seoul Expand  
			 Singapore Expand Contract 
			 Skopje Expand Expand 
			 Sofia Expand Contract 
			 Stockholm Expand Contract 
			 Tallinn Expand  
			 Tashkent Expand Contract 
			 Tbilisi Expand  
			 Tehran Expand  
			 Tel Aviv Expand Expand 
			 Tirana Expand  
			 Tokyo Expand Contract 
			 Tripoli Expand Expand 
			 Tunis Expand Contract 
			 Valletta Expand Contract 
			 Vatican Contract  
			 Victoria  Contract 
			 Vilnius Expand  
			 Warsaw Expand  
			 Washington Expand Expand 
			 Wellington Expand  
			 Yaounde Expand Expand 
			 Yerevan  Contract 
			 Zagreb Expand

EU Council

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken under the UK Presidency of the European Union to make Council meetings more efficient.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Presidency tabled two discussions by Deputy Permanent Representatives to the EU on this issue in early July. Among other things, it was agreed to hold fewer, more focused debates and to limit the length of interventions by Council members. We think this has made Council meetings more efficient. These discussions were based on the guidelines set out in Annex IV of the Council Rules of Procedure, which were agreed by all member states in 2003 in preparation for the enlargement of the EU from 15 to 25 member states. The Rules of Procedures seek to focus Council meetings on the key decisions to be taken by Ministers.

EU Finance

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) Ministers from EU member states and (b) European Commissioners (i) he and (ii) Ministers in his Department have met during the course of the United Kingdom's presidency of the European Union to discuss the European Union's next financial perspective and the future of the UK's abatement; what discussions (A) he and (B) Ministers in his Department have held with each; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: We have discussed the financial perspectives at ministerial and/or official level with each and every EU member state, the two accession states, Bulgaria and Romania, the European Commission and the European Parliament. We have made clear in all of these contacts that, as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wrote to his fellow EU Heads of Government on 20 October, we believe that agreement can and should be reached at the December Council. Our position on the abatement remains as set out by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister before the House on 20 June 2005, Official Report, columns 52325.

European Commission

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is towards the establishment of an external action service by the EU Commission.

Douglas Alexander: The Government welcomed the proposals to create a European External Action Service (EEAS) designed to support the proposed new EU Foreign Minister role, as part of the Constitutional treaty. The Constitutional treaty proposed that the Service would be established by the Council, which is made up of member states, on the basis of a proposal by the EU Foreign Minister, and not by the Commission, although the Commission would have to give their consent to the proposals. As the hon. Member is aware, the future of the Constitutional treaty, and hence the possibility of an EU Foreign Minister, is uncertain following the June European Council. We do not believe that an EEAS, as envisaged in the treaty, can be introduced without treaty change.

European Security

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives the UK Presidency has introduced to increase the personal security of citizens in Europe.

Douglas Alexander: Implementation of the EU's Counter-Terrorism Action Plan is a priority for the UK Presidency. The terrorist attacks in London on 7 July underlined the importance of this work. At the extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council called by the UK Presidency on 13 July, member states renewed their commitment to fighting terrorism and agreed to bring forward deadlines in the Action Plan.
	As a result of this renewed momentum, and building on the work of previous Presidencies, we are on course to make good progress in providing greater protection for EU citizens. To support the Action Plan, the UK Presidency also aims to review the EU's long-term counter-terrorism strategy before the end of the year.

Indonesia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the attack on Christians in Jatinulya, East Bekari, West Java; and what representations he has made to the Government in Indonesia regarding anti-religious violence there.

Kim Howells: We regularly raise treatment of religious minorities with the Indonesian Government, as part of our dialogue with them on human rights. We have urged them to encourage religious freedom, maintain law and order and promote reconciliation.
	In September this year, President Yudhoyono stressed that the state guaranteed every citizen religious freedom and called on the police and members of the public to act to prevent violence against any faith. The President also asked his Minister of Religious Affairs to work with local governments to find a solution to the recent closures of churches, including those in West Java.

Malaysia

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North-West Leicestershire (David Taylor), of 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 743W, on Malaysia, if he will make a statement on progress with the Government's review of their policy on the acceptance and wearing of foreign military medals by British citizens.

Jack Straw: The Cabinet Office Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, which is responsible for advising the Government on policy matters relating to the Honours System, will be considering a Foreign and Commonwealth Office paper on the accepting and wearing of non-British awards by British citizens at a meeting due to take place on 7 December.

Ricin

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates his Department informed the United States that (a) a substance believed to be ricin was discovered in an incident in the UK in 2003 and (b) that the substance was not ricin.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not inform the United States that a substance believed to be ricin was discovered in an incident in the UK in 2003, or that the substance subsequently was found not to be ricin.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the report prepared by officials from his Department following their visit to Zimbabwe in the summer.

Kim Howells: Due to the political climate in Zimbabwe, the meetings with some of the sources were conducted on the basis that their identities would not be revealed except in relation to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) proceedings. The AIT decided to make an order under the Contempt of Court Act 1981 by which those sources which had requested anonymity were protected, and accordingly the team's summary of their evidence was not made public. However, the team's evidence is noted in detail in the determination of the AIT, which can be viewed on the AIT website at http://www.ait.gov.uk/determinations.do